Hi all, I own a small cnc machine shop in Abingdon, VA. I have a Mazak SQT15 which is soon going to need spindle bearings. A crash about 4 years ago brinelled 'em, and she is slowly getting louder as time goes on. I have replaced bearings before on QT15's, but these are belt drive machines. Actually a pretty easy repair for the belt drive spindles. I guess what I am wondering, is bearing replacement for an integral spindle motor lathe like the SQT possible in my shop? How in the world do you get the rotor off from the spindle shaft? From the Mazak parts manual, it appears that maybe the rotor is not only pressed on the shaft, but possibly locked on with some type of epoxy? I dread the thought of biteing the bullet and sending the spindle off for rebuild. (Big $$ that I don't really have!) How much does Mazak get for an exchange unit? Will Mazak replace the bearings for me? Would a good spindle repair shop be able to replace the bearings on the integral motor? If so, any ballpark prices?? The only other critical task besides replacing the bearings is to rebalance the spindle shaft/rotor/bearing assembly. Is there a need to rebalance? Being the cheapskate that I am, I figure it would be cheaper to buy the bearings myself...even if I let a spindle repair shop do the work. Where would you guys recommend a good bearing supplier? I will probably have more questions later. Thanks in advance!!
Greg CNC Tool Corp.