Haas TM-1 Spindle problem

[speedrider]

Hi all,
I just joined your community and I am glad to discover a forum like this. I wish I knew about it long ago.
I have a TM-1 2004 model. The spindle is whining really loud. I called Haas and they said I have to buy a spindle cartridge at $2,047. They said 3 month warrenty if they install, no warrenty if I install. They want $120.00 an hour labor, estimated to take 4 hours and $80.00 hr. travel. They are 2 hours away so I guess thats $320.00 plus $480.00.
Has anyone ever installed one of these, and if so, is it an easy or hard job. I was also wondering where to get a maintenance manual.
Thanks

[Geof]

Are you sure it is the spindle and not just the belt? These machines can make a lot of belt noise if the motor is misaligned and the belt rubs against the side of the pulley. If the spindle nose does not get warm when it is running constantly and if there is no problem with accuracy I would suspect belt noise.

[speedrider]

I am not definatly sure, but it does have that metallic sound with the vibration. Like a bearing that gets old and sounds like flat spots on the bearings.
I can tell you this. The guy who ran the machine just quit to take another job. I have been there for 1 and 1/2 years and this guy has tried to use the machine as a punch press on many occasions. I would think if you slam the Z into the part that many times, the bearings must take a beating. Also this machine has made this whining since I started there. It just seems to be getting much louder in the last few weeks. Lucky for me, my machine sounds fine. We have 3 TM-1's and that 1 machine is the only one that sounds like that.
Is there an easy way to check the belt?
Thanks again.

[Geof]

Originally Posted by speedrider .... use the machine as a punch press on many occasions. I would think if you slam the Z into the part that many times, the bearings must take a beating....

If the spindle was stationary when it was used as a punch press the bearings are probably toast; they do indeed take a beating, it is called Brinelling. The balls make a microscopic dimple in the races and the races make a microscopic flat on the balls; the whining is caused by these damaged areas and it increases because the ball and races start spalling off sub-microspoic particles of metal so the damage gets worse.

I believe the maintenance manual is available from Haas at a cost of about $200. For what its worth I always have the Haas tech do stuff on my machines, it is quicker and if they screw up it is their responsibility. I just look the other way when I sign the job sheet so I don't see the number by the $.

[speedrider]

Well the reason I wanted to know this stuff is because one of the TM-1's don't have a tool changer. I was thinking if we could switch the spindle cartrigdes, the machine with the whine which has a tool changer and would not be noisey. The one without a tool changer is hardley used.Thats why I wanted to know if anyone has ever changed one.Unfortunatly, the company I work for is so cheap and not well run. There is no way they are going to have a tech come in. I am just the Machinist there trying to make the best of it. They won't even fix the AC systems, and it in the 90's everyday.

Thanks

[Cory]

Originally Posted by speedrider Well the reason I wanted to know this stuff is because one of the TM-1's don't have a tool changer. I was thinking if we could switch the spindle cartrigdes, the machine with the whine which has a tool changer and would not be noisey. The one without a tool changer is hardley used.Thats why I wanted to know if anyone has ever changed one.Unfortunatly, the company I work for is so cheap and not well run. There is no way they are going to have a tech come in. I am just the Machinist there trying to make the best of it. They won't even fix the AC systems, and it in the 90's everyday. Thanks

IIRC, you get half the price of the spindle credited to you when the tech takes the damaged one with him. I know it works that way for the gearbox, and I think they told me it does for the spindle too.

That alone would make the cost of paying the $80/hr travel and $120/hr worth it, let alone the knowledge that if the tech screws something up, it's his problem and not yours.

I had the spindle on my VF-1 replaced under warranty. It wasn't a terribly big deal. The cartridge slides out, you slide the new one in. Gotta do something with the draw bar (Couldn't really see what he was doing), reattach the oil line, put the gearbox and belt back into place (your machine wouldn't have the gearbox). Prolly took an hour, hour and a half? It seemed like the kind of thing you could do yourself if you were fairly familiar with the inner workings of a Haas mill. I wouldn't want to be responsible for doing it to my machine though

[speedrider]

They said $2,047 for the spindle cartridge and 30 days to send the old one back. If they did not get the old one back in 30 days, they bill you for another $2,047.