POSTED ON 4/17/2024 – For many shops, the reason they forego using the machine tool OEM and instead go with an outside service provider for spindle repairs is often price. While these shops hope to save money, they run the risk of spindle repairs that are okay but, in reality, can actually hinder machines tools from performing at their highest levels. When opting for an outside repair service provider, the risk often far outweighs the cost savings.
Because Mazak is the OEM of the machine tool as well as its spindle, the company’s repair service brings benefits and capabilities to the table that independent service suppliers just can’t match. For starters, Mazak repairs spindles with the same parts check list used to produce the original spindle as well as the latest versions of those parts if they’ve been redesigned and improved upon. This is critical in repair situations because many Mazak spindle parts, in particular bearings, are proprietary, making it impossible for other service providers to fix a spindle with these exact same high-quality Mazak components.
In addition to quality parts, only factory-trained Mazak spindle technicians have the certification and expertise necessary to perform the exacting procedures that must be followed when disassembling, repairing and reassembling a Mazak spindle. These technicians go through stringent training from the actual engineers that design and build these spindles.
That training is also continuously updated in terms of the latest Mazak spindle technology and data. This is information other repair suppliers are unable to keep pace with or simply don’t have access to. Without that information, they can still repair a spindle, but nine times out of 10 it won’t be to Mazak’s exact specifications, mainly because it is impossible for them to know all the engineered details of the machine tool model housing that particular spindle as well as Mazak does.