[speedydumpster]

I had a couple of questions concerning the cheap chinese spindles that you can get these days on Ebay, etc. We can get these direct drive ER32 collet spindles directly from Ebay these days for just a couple hundred dollars. I was wondering if anyone has ever tried to modify one of those to make it an ATC or BT30/ISO30 spindle?
Things that those spindles are missing:
1. Encoder for positioning - tapping
2. ISO 30 or BT30 support
3. ATC capability

I know that IH used to sell ISO 30 spindle cartriges for $65. I heard that they just got sold and don't know if they do that anymore, but I was wondering if you could disassemble a cheap chinese spindle and take the rotor apart, put the $65 ISO30 spindle on there, and add ATC capability to it. Like I said, I don't own one, or one of the $65 ISO30 cartridges, but I am sick of doing tool changes by hand.....

I deal with million dollar machines day in and day out, and having to deal with a ER32 collet... kill me now...
Right now there is no low cost solution that I know of out there. You can get a Pope spindle or a Columbo spindle, etc, but those will cost you several thousand.... I like the idea of a direct drive low cost spindle, and was just wondering if anyone has tried this.
Thanks,
Dave

[mactec54]

speedydumpster

There would not be enough room inside the spindle motor body, to do what you want to do, the rotor is quite small so you could not take it apart to put a larger spindle though the rotor,Plus with a larger spindle you would need larger Bearings, there is also no room for larger Bearings, other's have added a larger collet or ATC, onto the front of these spindles, (a separate housing ) but they don't really go below 6,000RPM as the torque drops off as the RPM get below there minium RPM, most are designed to run at 18,000