What's the difference between a "Spindle Kit" and a "Spindle System"?
We have sourced the highest quality products for our Spindle Kits and Systems.
A "Spindle Kit" is simply a collection of these parts paired together with the proper VFD programming. Our Kits provide the most basic of spindle functionality at a reasonable price. Note that a VFD Enclosure Upgrade is required before you can upgrade to our ATC System.
A "Spindle System" is a fully engineered solution. We engineered the perfect Enclosure to wrap around our high quality VFD. This allows us to offer full plug-n-play functionality for all cables. Our Spindle Systems are directly upgradable to an ATC System.
Will this work with my controller?
We own and have tested/documented a variety of CNC machine controllers and have found nearly every one is compatible, to some extent, with our Spindle Kits/Systems and ATC Systems. For these tested/documented controllers, we will do our best to help solve any problems that arise as they relate to our spindles. However with untested/undocumented CNC controllers, while it may be Spindle capable, the extent of that spindle support is likely not known to us. In those cases we can only provide limited guidance on how our VFD works. We are unable to provide full plug-n-play instructions for untested/undocumented CNC controllers. In these cases it is your responsibility to ensure compatibility and integrate the two systems together.
What are the power requirements?
You'll need to provide one of two types of power depending on which motor you choose:
110v: https://support.pwncnc.com/kb/article/18-what-you-ll-need-to-power-your-1-5kw-110v-spindle-system/
220v: https://support.pwncnc.com/kb/article/15-what-you-ll-need-to-power-your-2-2kw-220v-spindle-system/
Interested in a motor not listed above?
We know that although the above listed options are most popular they are not perfect for everyone. Over the years we've been working with G-Penny, we've developed a very strong relationship which you can directly benefit from. Thus we've developed a great relationship with G-Penny and have access to their entire collection of motors. If you'd like a motor option that's not listed above, please reach out to us to request a special-order motor and we'll see if we/manufacturer can accommodate.
What type and how many bearings are part of the spindle motors?
All of our spindle motors have 4 steel sealed angular bearings for long life and efficiency.
Which cooling option should I choose?
The choice between Air- or Water-cooling often depends on your setup preferences. We've ran 3d carves that have lasted many days with both and have found little difference in their performance.
General advice is if you're wanting to regularly carve aluminum go with water-cooled. But if you're only hoping to do aluminum and mostly carve wood, the air-cooled is more than sufficient.
Where's the 2.2kw 110v motor option?
This gets a bit technical so bare with us. In order for a 2.2kw motor to run efficiently at 110v, it requires 20amps of power. In the US we have three 110v circuit options in which the most common and in every home is the 110v at 15amps. In some rare cases folks will have 20amp plugs but a good rule of thumb with electricity is always make sure the circuit is rated for more than the device you're plugging into. Therefore a 2.2kw 110v 20amp motor would require the next step up which is 110v at 30amp.
Our thought here is if you're going to pay an electrician to come out and install a 110v 30amp plug... it is far safer (lower amperage), more common, and even helps resale value of homes if you were to install a 220v 20amp plug instead. (Resale?? It is very common for woodworking that tools come in 220v. So for future owners of your home who want to put a shop where you did, it's more valuable to have a 220v circuit than a 110v 30amp circuit).
Thus we only offer 1.5kw motors max for 110v which only requires 12amps and work perfectly with a dedicated 110v 15amp plug. For our 2.2kw 220v motors they only require 10amps to run efficiently.
Due to all this electrical knowledge... we did identify the most valuable aspect of 2.2kw motors and that's the ER20 collets. So we worked closely with our Spindle motor manufacturer to provide a 1.5kw 80mm motor with an ER20 collet to achieve this.
How loud is a Spindle compared to trim routers? What about between cooling options?
The vast majority of noise you'll experience from Spindle motors is when the bit is carving deep into your stock. Compared to a palm router, Spindles are virtually quiet. A low hum for the most part. Comparing Air- vs Water-cooled is another, question. Both are extremely quiet but Water-cooled does have the advantage. Ex: 3d carving with a tapered ball-nose bit... you can turn off your extractor as very little chips are being produced. Water-cooled motors will be virtually quiet. The most noise you'll hear would be from the coolant pump.
Also checkout these video from WorkbenchCon 2023:
https://youtube.com/shorts/K0K74xxsj0s?feature=share
https://youtube.com/shorts/gjkP5JIoYrI?feature=share
https://youtube.com/shorts/5fES-WE2KiY?feature=share
I have a Shapeoko with a BitRunner, can I continue to use it?
Short answer is no... but that doesn't matter with our Spindle Systems. Our VFD Enclosures have a very simple plug for use with an IoT power strip that provides the exact same functionality the BitRunner offers. You can plug your dust extraction right into the IoT power strip, the strip into our VFD and when RPM's go over 5500... your extractor will turn on.
Why does it cost so much?
PwnCNC is a small company bringing innovative and unique products to the market. We don't have millions or even tens of thousands to order pallet loads of supplies at once. We've also poured our knowledge into the Spindle System with features not found anywhere else. The testing, integration and wiring work takes time. In addition, our VFD includes a 20-month warranty while our Spindle motor includes a 6-month warranty.
Compared to purchasing parts off large online retailers, our Spindle Systems adds:
- Plug and Play simplicity!
- The most advanced VFD Enclosure on the market
- EMI Filtering AC inlet
- Port for IoT Strip
- All wiring shielded from interference
- Warranty and support
- Testing and shipped to order
Should I choose ER11 or ER20... what's the difference?
ER20 collets support up to 1/2" shank bits, but this feature comes at a cost. Only 80mm Spindles can support such a large collet. Typically this will require you to purchase an 80mm Spindle mount from your CNC manufacturer.
Helpful video about how collets work: https://youtu.be/oLuf_A-K2v4
What is the runout of our motors?
According to our motor manufacturer, runout of our Spindles is 0.01mm (High accuracy).
Can I carve mild-steel?
By default we sell motors for wood-working purposes. These are typically 2-pole 400Hz motors that have a usable range between 8000-24000 RPMs. However we do offer other motors upon request. Purchased less frequently but still available are our 4-pole 800Hz motors that provide the higher torque at lower RPMs which is required for Metal-working. Learn about one customers experience here.
Notices and Warnings:
- Our Spindle System is more than capable of plugging into a large variety of CNC machines. We can't possibly own every single one, so we've listed the controllers we do own and you'll experience the most plug-n-play experience with. If you have a machine not listed in the options above... it could work but there may be some required research or working with the manufacturer to determine if they support a plug-n-play Spindle such as ours. You can find additional information on hooking up our Spindle System into your CNC Controller here: https://support.pwncnc.com/kb/section/30/
Or reach out to us at support@pwncnc.com if you have additional questions. - Onefinity Black-Box controllers should be upgraded to firmware 1.3 or greater to receive the best experience.
- Shapeoko 5 Pro's Warthog controller has an extremely poor quality PWM signal. Plugging into their Spindle port will result in incorrect RPM commands coming from the controller. An ICSP header is available within the controller that provides a cleaner PWM signal. We have designed a pigtail (purchased separately) that is working great in our testing.
- If purchasing a 1.5kw 80mm ER20 Spindle System, exercise caution, keep expectations realistic and remember "Just because you can, doesn't mean you should" as it relates to using 1/2" bits.
- The 65mm Spindle System is not very adaptable to the 65mm mount on the Z-16. Recommend getting an 80mm mount and either an 80mm Spindle System or a Spindle Mount Reducer. More information can be found here
- There is a difference between the 1F Elite control cable and the Masso G3 control cable. All 1F Elites have a Masso, but not all Masso's are on a 1F Elite. If you have a 1F Elite, pick that.