I’m pretty sensitive to people pretending to not be marketing their products, while doing that exact thing, and I did not get that feeling from reading your post. It was good info as far as I am concerned.
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Agreed,
Even if one did read it as marketing, it’s informative and helpful so valuable anyway.
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I guess I assumed that manufacturers of pro quality tooling like Rego Fix and Techniks would use some standard (like ISO 1940-1?) for their balance ratings, but I couldn’t find that so I’ll ask them; particularly about this beauty from Rego Fix.
I assumed that the OP, like most, would try to measure runout from the spoil-board. The measurement error caused by imperfections in the spindle mounting and spoil-board could greatly exceed any spindle/collet runout. That’s what I was attempting to express in my post.
Rego Fix uses a DIN standard (note the clamping ranges), I suspect that Techniks does too, but I’ll ask them.
I’m also living in Europe and I rarely need anything other than 3mm and 6mm, 4 and 5mm seem pretty rare to me…
And back on topic, don’t know about the US but in Switzerland, I usually buy my ER-11 collets from:
- SFS high-precision (metric-only)
- SFS low-precision (metric, Imperial-compatible)
I’ve also bought some from Sorotec (metric, Imperial-compatible) and CNCFraises (1/8" and the rest metric for some reason).
And REGO-FIX can be bought here but I haven’t tried these yet. Really should though…
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Appreciate the feedback from you both. My goal in this is to provide good information.
I’m sure they do have a standard or they wouldn’t have the reputation that they do. It just frustrating that it’s not listed. The way I see this is that they are picking a standard and putting their name behind it that the one they have picked is universally good for that RPM.
To expand a little on the 1940-1. It actually a rotor balancing standard (title is Mechanical vibration — Balance quality requirements for rotors in a constant (rigid) state). It has been used for pretty much anything that can be rotationally balanced.
A lot of manufacturers have started moving away from it to 16084. This allows for multi component accepted unbalance. Which is fine but requires a lot more information about all the pieces in the system, spindle, and tooling.
Not sure as I’ve never seen it. Might want to check if SYIC list one, as if memory serves, Techniks is SYIC’s US distributor.
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Another company which has been mentioned as a good source is:
https://littlemachineshop.com/products/product_view.php?ProductID=4612
(for ER-20)
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That link produces a 404 error
My English supplier is Brunner Machine Tools Ltd.
A heads up for a great machine tool service (UK based)
Makes sense, that link is about 4 years old at this point. Though I think modded is still around so maybe we’ll get an updated link 
(And more importantly, were they ever tried? If so, how did it go?)
Yeah, that sort of thing is why threads close…
In retrospect, I should have made a new one and re-posted only the good/working links w/ a link back to this forum thread. If anyone has updated links, please post or edit them in.
Another vendor whom I feel comfortable recommending is Penn Tool Co. (though oddly they only have ER-16 for sizes relevant to our machines):
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As I’m beginning to look into purchasing back up collets, what is the difference between those discussed here and what Carbide 3d offers?
Hopefully, not much at all, but see below.
ER-collets are a de facto industry standard and are manufactured by a wide variety of companies, and sold by many more. Based on an initial offering by Rego-Fix which was adapted from an earlier standard:
The design was patented by Rego-Fix in 1972, and later standardized as DIN 6499.
The Wikipedia article has some information:
@TDA was generous enough to write up a bit on this previously:
(note that that post links back to this thread — I’d suggest reading both threads in their entirety)
and the company which he represents/works for offers sizes of collets which match all of our machines, and in run-out/balance specs to suit any shop’s needs (and budget):
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IJust make sure it matches up with the spindle you have.
Carbide3d has on their shop.carbide3d.com list an ER11 collet and nut, which is for the ER version of the carbide router and the older 65 mm spindle. The newer 65 mm spindle has an ER16 collet with a M19x1 thread (I believe that is the correct size).
The issue on the thread size matters if you want to buy spare nuts. The normal ER16A I believe has an M22. I would like to find a source for M19x1 ER16s with the hex head, the ones I am finding use a castle wrench rather than a hex. (It would be nice to only deal with one pair of wrenches).
Will, do you know if C3D is going to start carrying the ER16 M19x1 nuts in the shop section?
John
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What is/is not available in the shop is way above my pay grade.
Ideally, everything one would need to know would be covered at:
https://carbide3d.com/hub/docs/er-collet-basics/
and
https://carbide3d.com/hub/docs/65mm-er16-spindle/
and
https://carbide3d.com/hub/docs/80mm-spindle-kit/
(and for folks who bought before May 2025: 65mm VFD Spindle (ER-11) )
That said, I don’t know about the specifics of the accessories included with our spindles (since I picked a different direction and don’t have one since I am quite space-constrained) I suspect there’s a reason why we were the first/currently only company offering a 65mm spindle w/ ER-16 (more clever design work by @Luke) — anyone who has any questions which are not addressed in our documentation should check in w/ support.
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Thanks… I figured you would have the best shot at knowing. Having been in the corporate world before I moved to the academic world, I know how compartmentalized those kinds of things are.
John
They just updated their site. No idea about them at all other than Modded listed them. Since they were listed before without issue, new links are:
Standard: https://www.brw.ch/en-CH/rego-fix-collet-chuck-er-339000
UP:https://www.brw.ch/en-CH/rego-fix-collet-chuck-er-up-339040
micRun: https://www.brw.ch/en-CH/rego-fix-collet-chuck-mr-339042
Can’t speak to the others mentioned as they don’t appear to list runout specs at all. Let alone if they are an average, AQL, etc. Although, I’d bet good money they are better than the “Amazon specials” you get that can be as bad as relabeled scrapped goods.
The others I am aware of with measured collets since my previous post here are Haimer, and Pioneer. Kennametal does too but they appear to be a lower grade than the standard used by the others (DIN 6499 Class 2, 0.015mm/0.00059"). Haimer is all at least “UP” and Pioneer has “PG”, “UP”, and “EP”.
Techniks appears to now be part of Eppinger along with Parlec. They seem to have the same strategy as before a “standard” unmeasured grade and a AA or “UP” grade at a higher price. Don’t know if after this Techniks are still SYIC sourced.
Appreciate the @ and link Will.
For those that want more on collets here’s some other threads I know of (was involved with/rambled in):
And the previously mentioned one by will… Also, the last one goes a bit off the rails.
Short version in general is:
Runout effects chipload, higher precision collets have less runout, therefore more consistent chipload coming out to less waste of chipload/feed and better cuts. Matters more when your chipload gets smaller as you have less wiggle room (harder materials, smaller tooling, deflection limited, etc).
Let me know if there’s something I can help with.
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