Cooling fan replacement on Colombo Spindle

[johnm]

Folks -

We've been cutting like crazy this last week, and this morning the cooling fan at the top of the spindle slowed down and barely spins. I undid the four capscrews holding it in place and although there was some surface dust, everything looked okay. The fan assy spins freely, but does have an audible chatter. The pair of encased lead wires have virtually no slack and I cannot see where inside the spindle they go, nor how to get to them to remove the fan (or check the voltage to the fan)

I found a replacement fan, identical part number through an earlier search, but want to know how to rule out other "issues" upstream, such as a wiring defect, supply voltage or control box/VFD issue.

I'd sure appreciate any assistance on this - we have a bunch of work and I don't want to resort to a kluge for cooling the spindle.

TIA,

[richards]

John,

I don't have the answer that you need, but I can tell you that almost any fan that physically fits will get you by until you can get the correct fan wired in. Just run an extension cord to the temporary fan and power it from a wall socket (or power supply if the fan is not 120VAC).

I've had to do that many times in the process control computer part of my life.

When you do replace the fan, be sure to get a good quality fan with ball bearings. The sleeve bearing fans are much cheaper, but they wear out in a hurry.

[bcammack]

www.onlinecomponents.com (http://www.onlinecomponents.com)

Part #: 3656

$38.02 apiece.

Those fans die. I'd recommend keeping a spare at that price. Unless you can source an equivalent with a magnetic bearing (described below), consider them to be a consumable item.

I will say that our crack machine operators neglected to either notice or mention the failure of the cooling fan and I have a long, narrow, heavy paperweight now that used to be a functional 5HP Colombo spindle armature. The heat discoloration patterns are fascinating...

From a web site: "The magnetic Barometric Bearing replaces the ball bearing with magnets. The fan shaft is suspended on air for a truly friction free operation. This new technology allows the fan to runs quieter, more CFM per RPM and double the lifetime of the fan."

[knedert]

Thanks Brett for the info, we've ordered our replacement fan from the website you provided.

Sorry to hear about your expensive paperweight...

~Rose

[davidp]

Rose,

We have replaced two fans over the years, the last time I, I bought a spare. The problem I think is just wear, I was not able to trace any faults.

Regards,

David

[bill1]

Perhaps check radio shack I seen some there they look the same.
http://www.radioshack.com/search/index.jsp?kwCatId=&kw=cooling%20fan&origkw=cooling %20fan&sr=1

[pete]

Brett, et al

Will this magnetic Barometric Bearing fan on eBay work for us? The price is right.

Pete

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-Enermax-Enlobal-80mm-Magnetic-Barometric-Bearing_W0QQitemZ150298059215QQihZ005QQcategoryZ51 064QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[bcammack]

Regarding the eBay fan:

The fan on the Colombo spindle is 92mm, not 80mm. The 24cfm is about 20cfm too low. It's also about 900RPM too slow.

It's odd that they make no mention of the voltage or current requirements. The Colombo fan is 220v 50Hz AC and this one looks like a typical 12v or 5v DC fan as used inside a PC case.

Here is the datasheet for the OEM fan: http://www.onlinecomponents.com/productfiles/mf-PAP/3000.PDF

Part# 3656