For manufacturers that rely on CNC spindles, there is no such thing as just one spindle. There are many products on the market that require precision machining—drilling, reaming, cutting, finishing, and more—many often within a few microns of exactness. Spindles require regular maintenance to maintain these tolerances, and when one goes down it is crucial to have another spindle ready to step in to take its place. That’s why GMN USA offers spindle repair and maintenance, both as field services and in-house services at our modern repair facility.

It’s also why you need to always have an extra spindle ready in case of emergency. When it comes to securely preserving the integrity of your machinery for optimal performance, there’s no better place to store your backup spindles than the GMN USA spindle hotel.

The GMN USA spindle hotel is a safe place to store your backup CNC spindles. When one of your spindles requires repair or maintenance, we can immediately pull your backup from our spindle storage facility and ship it to you. This helps keep your operations up and running with minimal interruption.

The GMN USA spindle hotel program saves you money, too. Your backup spindle is quickly shipped to keep downtime at a minimum. Additionally, you can count on your spindle being in top condition, ready to commission, start producing, and earning money for you.

When we get the call that your spindle is malfunctioning, we quickly ship out your spare from our spindle hotel. Upon receiving your malfunctioning spindle, our experts immediately go to work. Often, all that’s required to restore your spindle’s functionality is simple service and maintenance. We replace or refurbish worn spindle parts and calibrate the spindle for optimal performance. If there is a cost that arises beyond your initial service agreement, we hold off on repairs until you approve the added cost. Once we complete the agreed upon spindle repairs, we put the spindle through a series of tests to verify accuracy and send you a report. We then place the spindle into our spindle hotel for proper storage and safekeeping.

Despite their rugged operating conditions—with lubricant flowing over the work process, metal shavings and swarf always present, and tools turning at tens of thousands of RPM—spindles have a delicate balance to maintain. With that in mind, storage is much more complicated than just putting it on any old shelf.

Our first task is draining any coolant from the spindle and sealing all openings. This keeps contaminants out, which in this case solely pertains to any dust that might be present in the air at the time of packaging. We also add a layer of oil on all appropriate surfaces to protect against rust, corrosion, and contamination. We then ensure that the spindle is appropriately wrapped and placed in a crate for extra protection. In addition, we also remove all external wiring harnesses from the spindle, wrap them separately,  and place them in the same container.

The greatest enemy of a stored spindle is moisture. Any fluctuation between the cooling and heating of air in an uncontrolled environment creates condensation, introducing moisture to the spindle. When left unchecked, this moisture soon facilitates the formation of rust and corrosion that can infiltrate even the smallest space in your spindle. Such contamination can render a spindle inoperable, resulting in a total loss in the most extreme cases.

This fluctuation in temperature can also affect lubrication in the stored spindle, altering its effectiveness. Storing your spindle at a constant temperature means that the lubrication can do its job with the performance that you would expect.

Manufacturing floors and factories are places of constant change. New machinery is coming in, and managers are constantly reconfiguring the floor to maximize available real estate. If you have a staff of 100 people, perhaps only ten employees fully appreciate how delicate and essential spindles are. They know exactly how and when to move spindles and the importance of proper storage. The rest of your staff has other responsibilities. This increases the possibility that a stored spindle will be mishandled. At GMN USA, however, our staff knows how important each spindle is. We handle each device with the utmost care to maintain its integrity, accuracy, and performance.

Spindle storage experts take care that the essential parts of your spindle, especially the bearings, are adequately lubricated before going into storage. We also open the spindle crate regularly and rotate the shaft. Without this rotation, any spindle lubricant eventually falls victim to gravity and sinks to the bottom. If dirt enters the bearing, the combination solidifies and often scars the ball bearings and races. Your only option at that point is to replace the bearings, but this is never an issue under our watchful eye.

As diligently as you try, it’s difficult to rid manufacturing facilities of rodents. You only need one or two mice gnawing on your spindle wiring to create enough damage that the spindle needs extensive repair. Rodent droppings on the spindle can also present a problem. Thankfully, our spindle hotel is meticulously maintained and pest-free to ensure that these unruly issues are many degrees of separation away from your spindle.

In the constant shuffle of a factory floor, it’s easy to lose track of your backup spindles. The time you spend searching translates to lost manufacturing minutes. Storage at GMN USA’s facility means your spindle is easily identifiable and always ready to go at a moment’s notice, and we ship quickly.

Remember, spindles are delicate instruments. A spindle stored too close to operating machinery can be subjected to excessive vibration. This vibration can affect tolerances,  which can result in poor part finishes, high reject rates, or premature spindle failure– all costly situations. At our quality spindle hotel, we take measures to minimize the effects of vibration on your spindle. 

At GMN USA, we don’t activate your warranty on spindle repairs and spindle parts until your replacement unit has shipped to you, effectively extending the protection on your spindle. The time your spindle is kept safely in our spindle hotel is like free extended warranty coverage.

Upon its arrival, you also need to take steps when a spindle has returned to your CNC center. Even though GMN USA double-checks every spindle before shipping, you should also do the same when the spindle arrives at your facility. These steps include:

• Wipe away excess protective oil from the exterior of the spindle.
• Examine all the exterior wiring and ensure it’s intact and properly fastened. 
• Run the spindle at a fraction of the maximum speed, say 10%, and monitor the temperature and overall operation. 
• Gradually increase the speed of the spindle in increments, monitoring the temperature all the time.
• Repeat until you reach maximum RPM. If the temperature remains within limits, you are ready to resume production.

You should also save any of the packing materials used in the shipment of the spindle. They will come in handy when you ship the other spindle off for service or maintenance and a stay in the spindle hotel.

In the end, GMN USA’s spindle hotel program saves money through regular maintenance, quick turnaround of your spindles, the best available storage practices, and effectively extending your warranties on repairs. Your downtime is minimized, and you save money.

Ready for check-in? Contact GMN USA for more information on our spindle hotel program.