Air Bearing and Ball Bearing Spindles Compared
Spindle choice on a PCB machine is not a preference. It follows from what the operation needs which is speed for drilling and torque for routing.
Published 2023-09-11 by Chengdu Jindali Technology Co., Ltd
Drilling Needs Speed
Drilling machines prefer air bearing spindles because their high speed improves drilling precision. The DLCNC D1X runs at 160krpm and the D2X D3X and D4X run at 160-200krpm which is what allows drilling down to φ0.15mm.
Routing Needs Torque
Routing machines prefer ball bearing spindles because of their good torque. Since routing does not need high speed DLCNC designs one motor to serve one or multiple spindles which is what makes a multi head router cost effective.
Why That Changes the Machine
It is also why a routing machine is not simply a drilling machine with a different tool. The spindle the drive and the tool capacity all follow from the operation. Routing normally manages 66 tools and drilling normally manages about 200.
Protecting the Spindle
A water cooling system with real time monitoring on cooling temperature and water flow protects the spindles on the drilling range. On the planer type router an automatic water recycling cooling system with thermal monitoring does the same job.
Spindle Supply
DLCNC supplies Westwind and domestic spindles as spare parts along with bearings collets armature and disc springs.
