Hit 5000 hours on our old Mazak VMC without a major spindle repair

The maintenance log popped up the number yesterday and I had to double check. This machine is from 2007 and we run it hard on steel parts. I think the key was sticking to a strict 250-hour greasing schedule on the spindle bearings, even when things got busy. Anyone else have a spindle last way longer than expected on an older machine?

3 comments

3 Comments

sam_cooper5d ago

Yeah that's awesome. We've got a 2004 Haas that's past 6000 hours on the original spindle, just religious oil changes. It's wild what basic care does.

adam4145d ago

That's crazy, @sam_cooper. What's the oil change schedule you stick to, every 500 hours or something tighter? I've seen shops skip them and then wonder why things fail early.

the_mary5d ago

Honestly used to think oil changes were just a money grab. Then my old truck hit 300k miles on nothing but regular maintenance. Kinda hard to argue with results like that.