When a high performance spindle like a Mazak Integrex fails our customers want to know why. That’s where our Forensic Analysis Quality Assurance program comes in. At High Speed Technologies, Inc we not only repair your Mazak Integrex spindle to like new condition we make every effort to determine the cause of failure so steps can be taken to prevent a similar failure in the future.

This Integrex spindle broke a thin tool holder off. The crash was still hard enough to Brinell the front bearings.	This Integrex spindle was crashed hard. Pieces of the tool holder are still jammed in the gripper assembly.

Sometimes we don’t have to look too far. This Integrex spindle on the right came in with pieces of a broken tool holder still jammed in the HSK gripper assembly. Hard crashes are usually pretty obvious.

Even a light crash can take a spindle out of commission. You can see the broken tool holder still sticking out of the spindle on the left.

There is no sign of foul play with this Integrex Spindle.	When the spindle on the left was opened up it revealed a catastrophic failure of the rear roller bearing!

Failures resulting from crashes are relatively easy to detect. But sometimes the cause of failure is more nuanced.

To discover the less obvious reasons for failure requires some sleuth work. To start off the spindle is disassembled over clean white paper. This allows us to examine the lubrication and other components for contamination. When covers are taken off, the lubrication spills out. The clean white paper allows us to examine the lubrication without adding any contamination from an outside source.

Removing the back cover from an Integrex spindle. Note the lubrication on the paper. The lubrication can tell us a lot about the overall condition of the spindle. It often holds the clues as to why a spindle failed.	When we removed the front cover on this Intergrex we see the reason that the bearings failed. The white liquid is a positive indication of water in the lubricant. So now we will start looking for a bad seal or broken O-ring.

When we removed the front cover on this Intergrex we see the reason that the bearings failed. The white liquid is a positive indication of water in the lubricant. So now we will start looking for a bad seal or broken O-ring.

This spindle failure was the result of a failed o-ring that allowed water based coolant to reach the bearings. At HST we fabricated special jigs that allow us to pressure test every Mazak Integrex spindle that we repair. If your Intergrex spindle needs repair call the experts at High Speed Technologies for a free estimate. +800.248.4478 or send us an email.