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Precision Drive Systems (PDS), a global provider of precision spindle motor support and repair based in Bessemer City, North Carolina, has launched a new data-driven predictive spindle maintenance program. 

“Our predictive maintenance services maximize machine uptime and part quality by detecting major spindle problems before costly and time-consuming catastrophic spindle failure,” says Allen Turk, president and CEO of PDS. PDS spindle monitoring technology also protects the machine and workpiece by rapidly shutting down the machine tool in the event of a crash.

During routine spindle repairs performed in the company’s service facility, PDS technicians embed sensors that provide distributive data for manufacturing process improvements. These embedded sensors are hardwired to the machine for real-time, online monitoring of excessive spindle-bearing vibrations and heat to predict the life of the spindle and protect the machine in the event of a crash. 

PDS also offers a quarterly service in which technicians visit the customer’s shop and attach portable wireless sensors to the machine for a quick glimpse at the spindle’s health. This evaluation is then compared to the spindle’s nominal threshold measurements or to PDS’s library of spindle data.