Design and Manufacturing of a 70 kW, 36000 rpm Milling Spindle

This work shows the development of magnetically levitated high speed spindles and the possibilities they give for the interaction with the milling process. A fully magnetically levitated spindle with 70 kW up to 36000 rpm is presented; its design and manufacturing issues and his performance in comparison with conventional high speed spindles. Furthermore the possibility to estimate cutting forces and parameters by an state-space approach, using the internal signals of the magnetic bearings as a whole adaptronic system, is shown; and even some preliminary attempts of damping process vibrations.