VF0 spindle drive life

[Geof]

For what it's worth.

In 2000 I bought a VF0 and it has more than 3000 hours on the spindle. Last week we had to replace the vector drive.

[Donkey Hotey]

That's interesting. I still don't think that's an acceptable lifespan.

Any idea which failure it had (internally)? I understand that the most common part to fail is a $40 low-voltage power supply inside that supplies power to the logic circuits. After that, my guess might be contactor or rectifier, followed by IGBT.

I'm guessing (hoping) that the logic board failure in mine was a remote case.

[Geof]

Originally Posted by Donkey Hotey ....Any idea which failure it had (internally)?.....

No idea, it was just replaced to save time; cost something like $2500.

Given how long we have had the machine, the amount of work it has done and the small amount of maintenance it has needed I am not displeased.

[Donkey Hotey]

Did that machine do a lot of rigid tapping? I'm curious how hard that is on the vector drive.

Lately, I've been rigid tapping at 1000 RPM and I notice an audible click-click from the back of the cabinet during every hole. I'm wondering if that's the delta-wye switching or something else (haven't bothered to actually open the cabinet while it's doing it). I wonder how long it's going to last doing that.

[Geof]

Yes, all my machines do a lot of rigid tapping but that machine has not done as much as some of the others. I sometimes think the life of electronic components is not determined as much by the hours of usage but by the number of times they are turned on and off, i.e. thermal cycling.

The click-click is probably the relay that switches between wye and delta. I have never noticed it but it must be operating because the change takes place at around 750rpm.