machine tool A machine tool is a machine for handling or machining metal or other rigid materials, usually by cutting, Boring (manufacturing), boring, grinding (abrasive cutting), grinding, shearing, or other forms of deformations. Machine tools employ some s ...

s, a spindle is a rotating axis of the machine, which often has a

shaft Shaft may refer to: Rotating machine elements * Shaft (mechanical engineering), a rotating machine element used to transmit power * Line shaft, a power transmission system * Drive shaft, a shaft for transferring torque * Axle, a shaft around whi ...

at its heart. The shaft itself is called a spindle, but also, in shop-floor practice, the word often is used

metonymically Metonymy () is a figure of speech in which a concept is referred to by the name of something associated with that thing or concept. For example, the word "suit" may refer to a person from groups commonly wearing business attire, such as salespe ...

to refer to the entire rotary unit, including not only the shaft itself, but its bearings and anything attached to it (

chuck Chuck () is a masculine given name or a nickname for Charles or Charlie. It may refer to: People Arts and entertainment * Chuck Alaimo, American saxophonist, leader of the Chuck Alaimo Quartet * Chuck Barris (1929–2017), American TV produce ...

, etc.). Spindles are electrically or pneumatically powered and come in various sizes. They are versatile in terms of material it can work with. Materials that spindles work with include embroidery, foam, glass, wood, etc. A machine tool may have several spindles, such as the headstock and tailstock spindles on a bench lathe. The main spindle is usually the biggest one. References to "the spindle" without further qualification imply the main spindle. Some machine tools that specialize in high-volume mass production have a group of 4, 6, or even more main spindles. These are called multispindle machines. For example, gang drills and many screw machines are multispindle machines. Although a bench lathe has more than one spindle (counting the tailstock), it is not called a multispindle machine; it has one main spindle. Examples of spindles include * On a

lathe A lathe () is a machine tool that rotates a workpiece about an axis of rotation to perform various operations such as cutting, sanding, knurling, drilling, deformation, facing, threading and turning, with tools that are applied to the w ...

(whether wood lathe or

metal lathe In machining, a metal lathe or metalworking lathe is a large class of lathes designed for precisely machining relatively hard materials. They were originally designed to machine metals; however, with the advent of plastics and other materials, an ...

), the spindle is the heart of the

headstock A headstock or peghead is part of a guitar or similar stringed instruments such as a lute, mandolin, banjo, ukulele and others of the lute lineage. The main function of a headstock is to house the tuning pegs or other mechanism that holds the s ...

. * In rotating-cutter

woodworking Woodworking is the skill of making items from wood, and includes cabinetry, furniture making, wood carving, joinery, carpentry, and woodturning. History Along with stone, clay and animal parts, wood was one of the first materials worked b ...

machinery, the spindle is the part on which shaped

milling cutter Milling cutters are cutting tools typically used in milling machines or machining centres to perform milling operations (and occasionally in other machine tools). They remove material by their movement within the machine (e.g., a ball nose mill) ...

s are mounted for cutting features (such as rebates, beads, and curves) into mouldings and similar

millwork Millwork is historically any wood-mill produced decorative material used in building construction. Stock profiled and patterned millwork building components fabricated by milling at a planing mill can usually be installed with minimal alterat ...

. * Similarly, in rotating-cutter metalworking machine tools (such as

milling machine Milling is the process of machining using rotary cutters to remove material by advancing a cutter into a workpiece. This may be done by varying directions on one or several axes, cutter head speed, and pressure. Milling covers a wide variety of ...

s and

drill presses A drill press is a drilling machine suitable for quick and easy drilling of straight holes, countersinking or counterboring that are perpendicular to both directions of a table surface. In comparison, it is more difficult and less repeatable to ...

), the spindle is the shaft to which the tool (such as a

drill bit A drill bit is a cutting tool used in a drill to remove material to create holes, almost always of circular cross-section. Drill bits come in many sizes and shapes and can create different kinds of holes in many different materials. In orde ...

) is attached (for example, via a

). * Varieties of spindles include grinding spindles, electric spindles, machine tool spindles, low-speed spindles, high speed spindles, and more. File:HwacheonCentreLathe-headstock-mask legend.jpg, Lathe headstock: H4 - Spindle File:HwacheonCentreLathe-tailstock-mask legend.jpg, Lathe tailstock: T5 - Spindle File:Multi spindle lathe 2.JPG, Multi spindle lathe File:Milling machine (Vertical, Manual) NT.PNG, Vertical milling machine (single spindle): #2 - Spindle

High speed spindle

High speed spindles are used strictly in machines, like CNC mills, designed for metal work. There are two types of high speed spindles, each with different designs:

Belt-driven spindle

Consisting of spindle and bearing shafts held within the spindle housing, the belt-driven spindle is powered by an external motor connected via a belt-pulley system. * External Motor: can be changed to create higher power and torque * Max speeds: 12,000-15,000 RPM * Advantage: cost-effective * Disadvantage: limited max speed limits applications (high speeds cause quick burnout, different housing limit power and torque)

Integral motor spindle

A main component of this spindle is the motor, stored internally. * Internal Motor: limited power and torque due to restricted space within the spindle housing * Speed Range: 20,000-60,000 RPM (top speed according to design) * Advantage: high top speed expands application use * Disadvantage: sensitive life range according to use Both types, the belt-driven and the integral motor spindles, have advantages and disadvantages according to their design. Which one is more desirable depends on the purpose of the machine and product(s) being produced.

High-torque spindle

In addition to more efficient material removal, especially when working with tougher materials (such as

titanium Titanium is a chemical element; it has symbol Ti and atomic number 22. Found in nature only as an oxide, it can be reduced to produce a lustrous transition metal with a silver color, low density, and high strength, resistant to corrosion in ...

), higher torque can also be used when machining tough materials that require stability for optimal accuracy.

CNC machines used with spindles

The type of CNC machine being used with your spindle will vary. Common CNC machines used are: * CNC Mills * CNC Lathes * CNC Plasma Cutters * EDM * CNC Water Jets

References

External links

* {{Woodworking Machine tools