Spindles Enable Versatile Operations on Existing Equipment

Source | NSK America Corp.

NSK America Corp.’s Nakanishi HES high-speed electric spindles enable users to use existing equipment for a much larger variety of operations. Conventional milling machines and machining centers can now do high-speed machining, small-diameter drilling and milling with extremely good surface finishes.

In moldmaking, polishing is often the most challenging step. It requires a significant amount of time and a great deal of skill to deliver a high-quality result. When done well, polishing can deliver tight tolerances and well-functioning mold cavities. However, it can be costly, time-consuming and leaves little room for error. One way to reduce polishing demands is by implementing finishing passes on your machining center using a ball end mill, diamond or CBN tools as the final machining step. These tools can eliminate cutter marks and bring machined surfaces extremely close to final dimensions, dramatically reducing polishing time.

The HES spindles come in two versions — a 50,000-rpm or 80,000-rpm maximum. Both offer less than 1 micron TIR, ultrahigh-speed, extremely low vibration and can be easily handloaded in the machine’s spindle. Simply enter a pause in the program to load the HES in the machine and lock the main spindle. Using a small-diameter ball end mill, users can run several cleanup passes to deliver high-level surface finishes straight off the machining center, thereby eliminating several hours of polishing time.

For lights-out manufacturing, there is a tool-changeable version of the system — the iSpeed5. Nakanishi’s high-speed spindle systems deliver better surface finishes, maximize the use of small diameter tools and reduce maintenance cycles on the machine’s main spindle.

In addition, the Nakanishi Emax EVOlution microgrinder is a high-speed, modular rotary hand tool system. The EVO offers great flexibility with attachments which can be quickly interchanged from rotary tools to reciprocating to 90-degree angle heads — whatever best suits each phase of the application. The ergonomic design is lightweight with low vibration, resulting in additional comfort and improved control during extended use.

With moldmaking as much art as it is science and engineering, manufacturers must hold tight tolerances and machine complex shapes in hardened materials, while also delivering perfect surface finish on critical surfaces. These tools are designed to accomplish this quickly and in a cost-effective manner, all while performing flawlessly over hundreds of thousands of parts or more. Nakanishi high-speed rotary hand tool systems, ultrasonic systems and ultraprecision spindles are engineered to make processes more efficient both on the CNC and in the final steps of polishing.