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IndustryArena Forum > MetalWorking Machines > Fadal > Weird spindle noises
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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Posts
    49

    Weird spindle noises

    Hello guys,

    I get strange spindle noises. When I warm up the spindle, nothing happens, everything is ok with it. When I run the program, in first couple of minutes, I get some strange noises that seems to comes out of the spindle nose area. After few minutes, it disappears and the spindle is running as usual. It is not happening every time I run the program. Also it can appear in the middle of the program, lasts few minutes and disappear. The sound itself is not a high pitch, sounds like when you have coins and tiny screws in cocktail shaker, but lightly shaking.

    I do not think I have bad spindle bearings, it would have been constantly high pitch noise.
    The noise is not too loud, but it is noticable. It is not rpm depending, but it is kinda random in appearing.

    Any ideas?

    I am thinkig now, draw bar, floater...

    Thanks in advance, guys.

  2. #2

    Re: Weird spindle noises

    Sounds like the Hi/Low pulleys, pull the cover and see if the disengaged pulley is making contact with the belt while running, may have to cycle the RPMs between hi and low gears in MDI a few times to recreate it, you'll probably see it visually as a slow retracting cylinder causing a bounce with that pulley, I've had it happen many times on my two fadals, A lot of the time you can take a 3/8 wrench and adjust the threads on the end of the cylinder where it threads into the idler pulley arm to where it makes less contact without making the belt too loose, I would check your hydraulic fluid level, just go through the top off instructions in the manual, but I would also anticipate replacing one or both cylinders sometime in the near future, adjusting them buys time but its probably starting to fail, if you get to that point and that doesn't fix it, it may be the hydraulic actuator, though I've found the cylinders more likely to fail. You may also want to check to make sure the magnets on those arms are making connection to the hall effect sensors, in enter next command type DI then hit enter, the DS and it will show the switches, use a dry erase marker to circle the hi and low sensor inputs then go to MDI and type S.1 and S.2 to shift back and forth, if its slow to read them it could either be from said failing cylinder or could also just be chips accumulated on the magnets. to make the inputs go away go back to enter next command, type DI and hit enter, the type X and hit enter. Good luck

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Posts
    1982

    Re: Weird spindle noises

    I would say it time to take apart for thorough inspection and cleaning. If metal chips are collected or whatever ... You will be very happy avoiding great problems later.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Posts
    49
    Quote Originally Posted by Algirdas View Post
    I would say it time to take apart for thorough inspection and cleaning. If metal chips are collected or whatever ... You will be very happy avoiding great problems later.
    Thanks a lot, guys.

    I removed the sheetmetal cover from the spindle assembly - I can't see any moving parts other than the pulleys and the belt. I have tried to locate the sound more accurate - it still sounds like its coming out of the spindle nose. It's neither louder or more quiet when I remove the cover.

    I guess it is coming from the spindle itself.
    Wonder is it ok for me to remove the flange on the spindle nose - it has a couple of socket head screws, can I do anything wrong if I remove that?

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Posts
    49
    Quote Originally Posted by jbranting View Post
    Sounds like the Hi/Low pulleys, pull the cover and see if the disengaged pulley is making contact with the belt while running, may have to cycle the RPMs between hi and low gears in MDI a few times to recreate it, you'll probably see it visually as a slow retracting cylinder causing a bounce with that pulley, I've had it happen many times on my two fadals, A lot of the time you can take a 3/8 wrench and adjust the threads on the end of the cylinder where it threads into the idler pulley arm to where it makes less contact without making the belt too loose, I would check your hydraulic fluid level, just go through the top off instructions in the manual, but I would also anticipate replacing one or both cylinders sometime in the near future, adjusting them buys time but its probably starting to fail, if you get to that point and that doesn't fix it, it may be the hydraulic actuator, though I've found the cylinders more likely to fail. You may also want to check to make sure the magnets on those arms are making connection to the hall effect sensors, in enter next command type DI then hit enter, the DS and it will show the switches, use a dry erase marker to circle the hi and low sensor inputs then go to MDI and type S.1 and S.2 to shift back and forth, if its slow to read them it could either be from said failing cylinder or could also just be chips accumulated on the magnets. to make the inputs go away go back to enter next command, type DI and hit enter, the type X and hit enter. Good luck
    Yeah, removed the cover - I do not see anything like that.
    I was hardly waiting to come to my shop and try what you said, I know Fadal has hi/low speeds, but I can't see any kind of selector, cylinders, and when I change the speeds from for exmple 800 rpm to 3600 rpm, I don't see any pulleys engaging and disengaging.

    However, the noise is still here, appearing randomly.

    I was thinking, could it be any gasket, or labyrinth or some kind of sealing?

    I hope it isn't bearing, or something complicated about the spindle, I would have a ton of problems here in Europe.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Posts
    49

    Re: Weird spindle noises

    Got that figured out. I had a couple of technicians for past few days working on it, and they fixed the spindle - in their words, there is a spacer (more like a tube) between the bearings, that got loose somehow. My bearings are still good,they just secured that spacer, grease packed the bearings and put it back together. Working quiet now, no problems.

    All the best, Fadal guys!

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