Gallery, Projects and General > How do I??

Air handling, fitering etc. for air spindle bearings?

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NeoTech:
one of those airbearing spindeles from precisioninstruments, is round and about 45000-80000 euros.. ;)
you can sometime find a used one on ebay and in surplus stores for around 20000 euros.

If you not find and take care of a "crashed" one which usually means alot of grinding or relining it. =)

SwarfnStuff:
Hi Pekka and all,
      I recalled seeing a thread on here regarding a build around this topic. This is the one.

  http://madmodder.net/index.php/topic,9283.msg103034.html#msg103034

An air bearing for his Floating End Mill Holder.

Regards,
John B

NeoTech:
Yeah in a small application like that you dont really need alot of air.

PekkaNF:
I decided to pass. It was build for 30000 rpm and 1/10 hp, bit fast and bit small for what I had in my mind. BUT I'd like to learn more about this technology.

Last ten years I have bumped into some air bearing applications. Real life and virtually.

First one was a laser interferometer measurement unit. That was impressive thing and ease to move "rock" on the way was incredible. I remember that measurement principle and air bearings were treated very cursory in the technical college, but very it wasn't something really unkown.

Then I have seen them on coordinate measurement systems, but everything about them is out of reach and also bit too involved.

Then I have seen articles about air bearings in conjunction of drill/endmill sharpening with TCG. This was first time, I think middle of 90's when I read some construction articles on US Home shop machinist mag (or something of that kind of title). Then I thought that maybe these can be build by HSM. Reading little bit further, but I still didn't got first hand experience. I do see here benefit of very low friction, which is the very reason on this application. But I had serious doubts about load carrying ability and stiffness.

It was't until Dan Gerbards YouTube clips I started to reconsider building "something".

The more I read about it, the more I see issues with it. I found one online calculator for load carrying and pressure/puck size and I think it had something on orifice size too. But even though underlaying idea is simple, real life product is not.

Then I got sidetracked and started reading about porous material pucks/sleeves....so far they look like most promising road for quick success. However I haven't found a source of reasonable price pads or bushes nor source for porous graphite to try make of my own.

I would like to test linear motion over granite surface plate. Just something for quick testing. Any ideas?

Pekka

NeoTech:
The big problem ive had with this subject is getting my hands on enough brass to cast some of the bigger parts of a spindle.

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