KDN high speed spindle, was Re: milling circuit boards

Steve,
you may be right, but I guess it's horses for courses...

I fitted a proxxon IB/E to my X1 (yes that's what's underneath!) as an
addition to the standard (modified) spindle
runout is minimal.. axial stiffness is plenty for the tiny tools I am
using.. sound levels are far below an air spindle..
and the business end is all metal...

and I can only give it the highest praise for what I do..

Mainly drilling pcbs, with a little fine detail 3D milling

I have a picture here http://www.spiyda.com/Images/proxxon.JPG

The IB/E seems to be a whole level higher than other cheap hand tools..

Besides giving a usable 20,000 rpm, it is a second spindle and allows
the use of two different tools at the same time...(just use an offset
instead of a toolchange command)

It wasn't expensive at around £60 and it can also be used for the
purpose it was designed for... a hand tool...

for the hobbyist or only semi professional use it is fine..
Mine has about 200 hours use so far and is as tight as when I bought it..

Chris (-=Spiyda=-)

--- In CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com, Steve Blackmore <steve@...> wrote:
>
> On Sun, 08 Oct 2006 19:33:48 -0000, you wrote:
>
> >This high speed spindle appears to be a Proxxon hand grinder attached
> >to a bracket.
> >There will be a huge difference between a machine tool spindle and a
> >hand grinder. For example, the hand grinder has no need of axial
> >stiffness or dimensional accuracy. Runout is also not very
> >important, to a few mil level. Since this grinder appears to be made
> >mostly of plastic, there will also be thermal expansion issues.
> >
> >No doubt it will remove material, but don't be surprised if it is the
> >limiting factor in the precision and smoothness of cut of your mill.
>
> Hi Elliot - I wholeheartedly agree with you.
>
> The Proxon stuff is good, compared to a plastic Dremel, but it's still
> way down the list compared to a good commercial spindle, it's just not
> designed for many hours of continuous operation and is very expensive
> for what it is. I'd rather pay four times as much for something that
> will last ten times as long, even if it sees me out before it's worn
> away ;)
>
> Steve Blackmore
> --
>