I'm not really keen on the idea of using a fixed full rpm router or at best a few set points of rpms for a spindle. So I was intending to use a spindle and power supply for my build. I've found a few spindles rated from 300w-600w and 48v-110v that would seem to be capable of light aluminum work. What have you guys seen as a good spec point for aluminum work? Much past the 300w mark though most switching power supplies just don't provide enough voltage. What do you guys use for power supplies at that point? Was hoping to avoid VFD's at this price point.
Reading quite a few reviews on 300w spindles saying that they're just not cut out for aluminum work. Once you hit the 110v power demand for the spindle do you use an inverter transformer? Or is there an alternative form of power supply that I'm just missing entirely? I'm in the U.S. so we have 120v from the wall.
Hey Capn, I could be wrong, but it sounds like your mixing up DC and AC with both source and in terms of spindle specifications. I believe your interested in the DC spindles such as the quiet cuts from inventables. These need a seperate power supply that plugs into our 110vac and outputs DC on two conductors to the spindle. DC motors are pretty darn straight forward. You put a potentiometer inline with it and you control it's speed. AC is a little more tricky. The usual types here are the single phase AC routers that plug into wall and then there are spindles. The spindles are three phase 4 conductor and are powered by vfd. Vfd plugs into wall socket (usually, but can be hardwired). The VFD creates the 3phases needed. There are routers available that have variable speed selection built in and there are also external speed controllers for fixed speed only routers. Personally, I use a single phase 115v in to a three phase out vfd. Then to a water cooled spindle. Power coming into our homes here is 220vac. This is split at the breaker and both sides (now 110) go to our wall outlets to power the toys. Power companies do run three phase lines to businesses. If you had one running by your home then you could ask for three phase service if you needed it. There are 220ac voltage in..vfds, but you may need another breaker installed to use both legs of the AC to get the 220 (if you don't have a spare 220 breaker already). There are other ways to do this(google). Basically a washer dryer circuit. I hope this cleared some stuff up. If not, it's there for someone else. Joe
Yeah I think I got it. Seems most 600w+ spindles are AC. At first I made the silly assumption that all spindles were DC and power always needed to be converted. I didn't realize until very recently that VFD's are used as power supplies/conditioners. At first I thought that they were just a high end spindle control system. So from what I know now, VFD's are form of power conditioner that can take a from the wall single phase input and output an AC power in different voltages and/or phases and are capable of taking pwm signals to control spindle speed via voltage adjustments. I know that not all VFD's can alter phase, at least i don't think they can. And i've also realized that at these kind of power demands I may need to start looking at the breaker limitations in my planned work room.
