Spindle run time

The spindle running time describes the running time of the motor spindle of a machine tool .

Modern machines automatically record the spindle running time and save it for evaluation. The maintenance intervals of some parts of the machine depend on the running time of the spindle, as it represents the time of actual use. When selling used machines, it can be used to estimate the value, just like with a car based on the mileage.

In manufacturing technology , it can also be used to compare the total hours in which a manufacturing process directly loads the machine with the time in which the spindle rotates. In the case of numerically controlled machines, this includes programming, set-up time and spindle run time. With shorter tool and workpiece changes (setup parallel to main production time) or external programming, the spindle running time and thus the economic efficiency of the machine can be increased.

Spindle running times of up to 90% of the machine's duty cycle are possible on modern machines.

example

variant	Duty cycle	Equipping	Program	Milling	Spindle running time in%
1	400 h	50 h	100 h	250 h	55
2	400 h	30 h	26 h	344 h	86

In variant 1, more than 45% of the available capacities on the machine are "wasted" by tasks such as setting up or programming. In contrast, variant 2 is based on the use of external capacities - the spindle running time here is almost 90% of the duty cycle.