A machining spindle is a precision bearing assembly running at extreme speed, and it is normally the most expensive single repair on the machine. Bearing degradation announces itself in the vibration spectrum months before it is audible, and the specific defect frequencies say which bearing and how far along it is. That lead time is the entire value: a planned rebuild costs a fraction of a seizure, which can take the taper and the drawbar with it.
The steps ChatterFix schedules for this PM. Every step is a checkable item on the work order — a technician can speak their way through it without touching a keyboard.
A machining spindle is a precision bearing assembly running at extreme speed, and it is normally the most expensive single repair on the machine. Bearing degradation announces itself in the vibration spectrum months before it is audible, and the specific defect frequencies say which bearing and how far along it is. That lead time is the entire value: a planned rebuild costs a fraction of a seizure, which can take the taper and the drawbar with it.
Surface finish deteriorates and tolerances widen for reasons that get blamed on tooling, then on the operator, then on the material. Scrap climbs. Eventually the spindle seizes, usually into the workpiece, and the machine is down for the several weeks a rebuild takes — with no slot booked, because nobody knew it was coming.
Quarterly, with the run-hour leg governing on machines that cut continuously. Readings are only useful as a trend, so the first two or three establish a baseline and every one after that is read against it. When a defect frequency starts climbing, shorten the interval rather than waiting for the next slot.
This procedure — and every other PM for your industry — is already built into ChatterFix. Pick your industry and it lands on the right equipment, on the right interval, in about three minutes.