Nomad 3 spindle top nut

Not sure of the exact name of this part…but the little nut on top of the spindle got loose…came off again. This is spindle #4 for me. I added some blue loctite and snugged it back on…however, if it’s too tight it creates a TON of heat in the spindle and the motor. Too loose…rattle and sloppy machining. Pretty difficult to get it just right. I really miss the old Nomad Pro spindle…no issues at all!

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Maybe try Teflon tape if all else fails?

I am on spindle #5 - this one has a different bearing, and has given me no issues.
I never got a conclusion on my support tickets on all my spindle issues, only allegations of disassembly and insinuations of me losing warranty…
@wmoy is using one of the spindles i had to send back saying they find no issue. They are not telling me what i am doing wrong if there are no issues with the product.

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As someone who is on spindle #2 but suspects the original one just needed adjustment, it would be useful if the factory adjustement method was published.
Original spindle vibrates with no load and chatters on cut (which it didn’t when new) due to play. #2 made the machine like new again. Support never requested the spindle to be posted back to analyse it. Although there was play, my own check of it doesn’t indicate a loose nut; it is more like bedding in.

If you are tightening the M8 nut on a clean spindle shaft (turns easily on threads, no loctite residue), the nut should be turned to “two finger tight”, without the use of wrenches. (Ie. using thumb and forefinger) Twist the nut until it is gently but firmly compressing the pulley to the top bearing. Don’t cheat it and try to tighten it until the nut slips out of your fingers…) Before you do this, make sure the pulley set screws are loose and the pulley slides freely, otherwise it will prevent the nut from properly pulling tension on the spindle shaft. Also make sure you apply loctite sparingly, and don’t let it drip/run onto the bearing.

The reason support so strongly recommends against a user doing this is that as Adam noted you may end up burning out your bearings if it is done incorrectly. For warranty coverage, it needs to be our screw-up, not yours. User disassembly obfuscates this and makes it harder to trace root cause of failure.

There was a small number of spindles in an earlier batch where the assembler didn’t fully back out the pulley set screws during assembly so the pulley was dragging or stuck on the shaft resulting in under-loaded bearings. That’s something the shop team is now fully brief on and keeping an eye out for. If you don’t notice any issues with your cuts we strongly advise against disassembling the spindle.

THIS WILL VOID YOUR WARRANTY.

If you are noticing issues with cut quality, let our support team know. I have high confidence in the spindles and machines that we’re shipping these days.

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I have had great success with my last spindle, and have no more complaints on that front.
And thank you for finally specifying what the correct torque and technique for assembly and tightening. That actually really helps when you are not sure what is going on.
This insecurity is especially scary living half way across the globe, with expensive and slow shipping one is unable to use the machine for weeks and even months. When only relying on replies from support, and the replacement of parts that might be totally fine unbeknown to the user.

The spindle on your test Nomad marked “3” is one of the spindles i had not had issues with yet during my case with support.
The spindle after that one on the other hand had oversized bearing seats causing the bearing to spin freely on its outer edge again, Which also happened to the first spindle i got with the machine.

This was solved again with spindle #5 - Which use a different type and brand of bearing.

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Hello Everyone, I too have encountered problems with my Nomad 3 spindle, loose bearings, chattering while cutting, excessive noise (85dB) and oversized holes due to the end play in the bearings. I am on my second spindle and my machine is making 0.3mm larger than my nominal hole diameter. I have another ticket into support as of yesterday. Is the spindle end play related to excessive plunge cuts or vertical crashes? I have a Nomad Pro and that machine is very consistent and reliable when cutting aluminum compared to Nomad 3. I will look into tightening the top spindle nut by hand. Is there anything else I can check while I wait on support?

Quick response by carbide 3d support. Testing the new spindle today. Thank you

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