What type of spindle should I select?

Is it possible to engrave with a standard spindle? For starters and general purpose usage, we recommend a 7hp, 5Kw, 24,000 rpm spindle as the basic standard. This spindle is powerful enough to process soft aluminum at low speed, it can handle medium size woodworking tools and the results on acrylic (edge quality) are sufficient for most applications. The spindle is robust and maintenance-free, and it is ideal for new or inexperienced operators.

High Frequency spindles allow higher feed rates and guarantee a perfect edge quality in acrylic as well as engraving and work with small bits, High Frequency spindles allow higher feed rates and guarantee a perfect edge quality in acrylic however they are expensive, sensitive and have a limited lifetime before the bearings need to be replaced. At low speeds the performance (torque) of HF spindles decreases. This can be a problem when cutting material like soft aluminum or wood as the material starts melting or burning at high speeds. Another thing to keep in mind is the limited tool capacity of HF spindles. If you decide to buy a HF spindle, you have to take into consideration, the ongoing maintenance and eventual replacement of the bearings. Nevertheless, HF spindles are the perfect choice for high speed processing of aluminum, acrylic and several types of plastic.

If you need an Automatic Tool Changer (ATC) the 11hp, 8kw 24000rpm, ISO-30 spindle is a popular solution for a lot of applications. With the ISO-30 tool holders you have access to a large selection of ISO-30 aggregates for special applications.  Automatic tool change does add some cost to the system price, but in most cases it reduces so much time in job cycle time, especially in anything requiring quantity manufacturing, that it pays for itself in no time.

FlexiCAM has many configurations of toolchangers, depending on the application, budget and machine chosen. Our most popular toolchanger is a stationary rack style toolchanger, it is robust and has the minimal amount of parts as possible so it is the most reliable. It is able to hold any size aggregate and is offered on all our moving gantry style systems. A cover is available for the rack style system which works well in environments where there would be a lot of mess while cutting. The possibility of up to 25 tool positions is available with this style on large machines.

The second style is a carousel style which has a slightly shorter tool change time, as it travels with the gantry. The integrated cover is a bonus for dusty environments. This style tool changer only supports up to 10 tools. Our system uses a Servo motor to power the tool changer, rather than a Stepper motor found in lower quality machines.

The third style is the ride along Carousel which is available on the XL series. This series has the Carousel toolchanger ride along with the Spindle so that no travel on the machines X/Y axis is required to get to the toolchange location. This is for applications having very critical chip to chip cycle times. On the Viper series of machines we offer the third style of toolchanger, the swing arm. This allows the router bits to be kept out of the work area of the table, and swing into it for very fast toolchange times.

The fourth style toolchanger we have is a gantry mounted stationary toolchanger, which allows a high speed toolchange with a minimal amount of moving parts in the toolchange system, adding to the reliability of the system. Enclosed toolchangers can be mounted on either end of the gantry.

Automatic Tool Changer Spindles

FlexiCAM offers several versions of tool changers (Turret mounted to gantry or carriage, worktable mounted). Please ask for a quote based on specific spindle, type of mount and number of tools. The following are standard configurations for the ATC systems, regardless of spindle, are equipped with 10 tool positions (except Viper) and 4 tool holders. All toolholders and tool sensors are mounted to the work table. Main air requirement for the ATC is dry, clean (0.1um)oil-free compressed air(> 7 bar/100psi) Air Pressure sensor is included. Dust Collector/pressure foot are not included.

Spindles - Manual Chuck

FlexiCAM offers a various numbers of spindle options to suit your job requirements. The following spindles are the standard selections, please contact your local FlexiCAM sales partner if you have an application that requires a custom spindle solution.

Engraving Option
Engraving Spindle - Independent motor, no router required
4mm standard cutters, optional 3mm, 6mm, 1/8”, 1/4”, 11/64”
bottom loading spindle standard, top loading spindle optional

Spindles Options

Additional specific options available for your Spindle. All  ISO-30 & HSK-63F Spindles include: 1 1/4” (30mm) max. Shank diameter, Electric fan for cooling (up to 13.5kw) Liquid Cooled for 15 kw(incl. Heat exchanger)

Dust Collector for Manual tool Change systems Connects to 4” (100mm) vacuum hose
Pressure Foot for material holddown and chip extraction Only for manual tool change, requires dry, clean, oil free compressed air
Dust Collector for Automatic Tool Change systems Connects to 4” (100mm) vacuum hose
Rotary Tool Changer 10 tool position turret mounted to Gantry, requires ACS. This system is driven by a Servo motor, not a Stepper motor, to provide high speed reliable tool changes
Auto Cover for ATC Automatically covers unused tool holders for the linear style changer
Quick Change Option Pneumatic release of tool holder, includes one toolholder and collet
CNC Rotary Axis Requires the ACS, mill out intricate columns, chair legs, orbels, statues, gun stocks and such, with this option.
Dual Slides For mounting multiple spindles or other options such as ngraving spindles, drills and boring blocks. This can be sed as an inexpensive toolchanger for those requiring only two tools.