Re: 1KW, 30KRPM Router as a Spindle/Motor?

--- In CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com, "AbbyKatt" <cnc@a...> wrote:

> So, I was in the hardware store today...
>
> And I was looking at lots of pretty nice routers. 8K-30KRPM... Not

too

> shabby. On most it looks like it'd be pretty easy to remount them...
> So.. A 30,000 RPM spindle would be damned nice to have on a mill,
> especially if you were running really small bits with high-feed

rates,

> the motors are powerful - 1KW for many of them, and at router

prices,

> it's certainly a lot cheaper than the $3000 industrial spindle

motors I

> drool over in engineering magazines.
>
> That said.. If this is the dream, then where's the heartbreak?

What's

> the catch?
> Why shouldn't I do this? :)

A lot of it depends on the amount/type of material you plan on
cutting. The typical router is rated based on some questionable
conditions. The HP ratings are instantaneous peak and not for
continuous use. Take a look at the watt ratings. One horsepower is
equal to 746 watts so 1KW is only roughly 1.34 HP. So how (he said
thoughtfully) does one get 3 HP out of a motor that only draws 1 KW
and you can hold in your hand...okay in two hands? I suspect there
is a level of showmanship involved here. All that being said the
mounting of a router on a CNC mill for cutting with small diameter
cutters in wood or aluminum can be the best way to do small quantity
jobs. The big commerical heads are designed for high feedrates and
production environments; their price reflects the size and bearings
you have to have to spin at 30,000RPM and shove it through wood with
a 1/2 or larger cutter at 200 IPM.