Design and evaluation of a high-speed and precision microspindle

• DOI: 10.1007/s00170-014-6690-x
• Publication Date: 2014-12-26T05:10:53Z
• Authors: W. Li; Z. X. Zhou; H. Xiao; B. Zhang
• Keywords: 0203 mechanical engineering; 02 engineering and technology; 7. Clean energy

This study presents the design and evaluation of a high-speed and precision microspindle used for micromechanical machining. A radial impulse turbine with two rows of nozzles was designed to realize the high-speed performance. A monolithic flexible coupling was used to decouple the turbine shaft and the tool, and then, the tool shank was directly supported by aerostatic bearings, which can minimize the run-out of the tool at high speeds. Additionally, a shape memory alloy (SMA)-based clamp was designed for tool clamping. It can avoid the assembly error caused by stack-up tolerances. The microspindle has simple configuration and compact design with a 30-mm outer diameter and a 95-mm length. The prototype microspindle has a maximum speed of over 240,000 rpm and a tool radial run-out of 2.79 μm. The evaluation results show the feasibility and potential application of the new design concept of the microspindle proposed in this study.