Thermal Characteristics of High Speed Motorized Spindle with Helical Water Cooling Channel

High speed machining (HSM) is a promising technology for drastically increasing productivity and reducing production costs. Development of high speed spindle technology is strategically critical for researchers to implement HSM. High speed spindles are notorious for their sudden catastrophic failures without alarming signs at high speed due to thermal problems. This paper reviews various patents on thermal characteristics and water-cooling system of high speed motorized spindle and, based on the calculation theory of heat conduction, the finite element software was applied in the simulation and analysis of high speed spindle system aimed at dealing with difficulties in calculating the amount of cooling water and measuring the temperature distribution of helical water-cooling system of the high speed spindle. A finite element thermal model is developed to characterize the heat distribution of a high speed motorized spindle, in particular the characterization of helical water-cooling system. The simulation result, experimental validation and sensitivity analysis show that temperature increase could be significantly reduced with the application of helical water cooling system. Based on the simulation analysis, we can predict the temperature distribution and development of helical water-cooling system when the motorized spindle endures various ambient temperatures and reduces the trial modification times of the water-cooling system design to achieve high efficiency and lower manufacturing cost.