Improved Spindle Mounts

Background

Roll to roll coating utilizes spindles for mounting to motors, and for directing the path of the roll. The rigidity of these spindles is integral, as vibration and sway will change whether a roll is properly parallel, and can change the quality of the coating on the roll.

Problem

Testing found vibration and slack in the rollers, meaning that during the coating process the were moving out of parallel. I sought to add more rigidity to the existing spindles

Disassembly and Modeling

To create the mounts I first dismantled the existing spindles to grab dimensions and see how they currently mounted to the machine. I grabbed the necessary measurements to create models in SOLIDWORKS so that I could design without disrupting machine time

Solution

My solution involved improving the bearings originally used at the mounting point. These bearings were not designed for precision and themselves had large amounts of play. I improved the motor mount on the back for rigidity, CNC milling the new plates, and isolated the heat lines from it to prevent vibration. I upgraded the shaft couplings, and added additional support to the shaft on the freestanding side. In the end the spindles had improved reliability and rigidity.