I upgraded from Carbide’s VFD to the 2.2kw spindle kit from PWNCNC and just wanted to share some thoughts as it’s been a massive upgrade for me. Couldn’t be happier and wish i had just gone this route from the beginning. I chose the kit from PWNCNC because I didn’t want to mess with putting it all together myself, i just don’t have the time for that. You could and save some money, but that wasn’t for me, as i’ve gotten older i’ve leraned
Pro’s:
ER20 Collet (1/2" bits!!!)
More powerrrrrrr - I’ve been able to increase my speeds
Full VFD control, i can switch to manual mode mid-cut and adjust my speed
Remote keypad/control
I can finally pause mid-cut, power off the spindle, and let the machine sit for a few hours
Con’s:
no 80mm spindle mount from Carbide available (PWNCNC has one though)
lead time, took a bit to get
Issues:
I have an issue where when i power off, as the spindle drops on the Z axis, it spins, i’m hoping to get this sorted out, but right now it’s annoying and something to remember so i don’t drive my bit into the bed or anything else (right now i just always remove the bit), i just need to contact PWNCNC and see what they say
I’ve been eyeing the PWNCNC 2.2kw spindle for awhile now. My biggest concern is the mount. I attach my laser to my current mount and that doesn’t look to be an option with the PWNCNC mount.
Yup, still figuring out what i can run and how fast, but i’ve been slowing increasing speeds so far without any issues.
Also have a 2" surfacing bit i want to try out, but i ran into an issue with bitsetter as the bitsetter fits right into the middle of it and messed up the Z height, learned that the hard way.
I have a 2.2w air cooled spindle/VFD package on order. The lead time is in strict invoice rotation, depending when you order. I expect to get mine halfway through May. I also ordered the V7 dustboot. I have changed all of the system V wheels for new ones, in addition to the ones that came with the HDZ upgraded Z axis. I also changed all of the Gates GT2 belts. Image shows machine ready to receive the new spindle.
Jay can also provide a spindle mounted laser. He may be able to mount your existing laser on a spindle mount. I found the original 3D printed carbide specific mount usable for a while. In the end I created my own mount in 10mm thick acrylic. It was brittle and cracked around the screw holes I had made to mount it onto the original carbide spindle mount. In the end I made it from 10 mm aluminium.
The Carbide 80mm HD mount has a couple of screw holes which could be used to mount a plate for the laser. I will probably do that once I have everything installed.
