With Yellow Friday coming up I wanted to share
something to consider before ordering a VFD-Enclosure/Spindle System. If you were comparing a trim router, a 65mm/1.5kw, a 80mm/1.5kw and a 80mm/2.2kw spindle side by side where do you think the bigger jump in performance would be?? If you use the maximum amount of electricity used by each the numbers would tell you it’s practically equal… a 700 watt jump between all three. The trim routers use around 700 to 800 watts depending on the brand. The 1.5kw both use 1500 watts and the 2.2kw uses 2200 watts. This is very deceiving because it appears that the only difference is the 1.5kw are the body size. However in practical every day use the biggest jump in performance is between the two 1.5kw motors.
The bearings size, main shaft, collets and whatever the difference is in the motor windings make the 80mm 1.5kw a much better choice if your CNCs z-axis can handle the weight. The weight of the 80mm 1.5kw are the 80mm 2.2kw are exactly the same.
We just see the question “what is the difference between the 65mm and 80mm 1.5kw” quite frequently and we see people upgrading from the 65mm to the 80mm. There is a huge difference in torque between the two 1.5kw. This means you can cut with larger bits, take deeper passes and faster feed rates across the board. I’m no expert in how DC, 3-phase electric motors work but going strictly by the 1.5kw rating is very misleading.
Does this mean there is no place for a 65mm 1.5kw spindle. Absolutely not because there are lots of CNC that just can’t handle the weight of the 80mm motors. In those cases a 80mm 1.5kw would probably be overkill. The overall weight, rigidity, size and power of your steppers, your drive system (belts vs lead or ball screws, linear rails/bearing vs v-wheels) and lots of other considerations need to be taken into consideration.
In closing… do your research. Watch some videos and ask questions. PwnCNC Users Group and Forum has a lot of knowledge collectively and it’s a great resource… USE IT!!