ENSET has completed commissioning of a PICASSO-5.B horizontal hard-bearing balancing machine at one of the Volga region’s leading machine-tool manufacturers. The plant specialises in the production of ultra-precision jig boring and jig grinding machines, high-precision rotary tables, and drive and motorised spindles. Its range includes more than 100 spindle types and sizes, with rotational speeds from 200 to 126,000 rpm. The company also carries out major overhauls and extensive modernisation of high-precision metal-cutting machines manufactured in Russia and abroad. The PICASSO-5.B was purchased specifically to balance the spindles used in the plant’s own jig boring machines.
What Can Be Balanced on the PICASSO-5.B?
The machine is designed for dynamic balancing of small rotors weighing from 50 g to 5 kg and having two support journals. In addition to precision spindles, it can balance:
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turbocompressor rotors used in internal combustion engines and turbojet engines;
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armatures of high-speed electric motors and gyroscope rotors;
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rotors of centrifuges, fans and motor-fan units;
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gear shafts, gear wheels and pump impellers;
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cutting tools and tool holders.
An innovative belt drive, modular supports with a range of bearing assemblies and balancing tooling, multi-plane balancing capability (including quasi-flexible and flexible rotors), and an antimagnetic design even in the standard configuration enable the machine to handle a wide variety of precision, high-speed rotating components.
Why Precision Spindle Balancing Is Critical
The spindle is at the heart of every machine tool. At rotational speeds of thousands or tens of thousands of revolutions per minute, even minute unbalance generates considerable centrifugal force, which increases with the square of rotational speed. Spindle unbalance causes vibration that:
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reduces machining accuracy: research indicates that spindle rotation errors can account for up to 80% of errors in the machined surface;
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accelerates wear of expensive precision bearings and shortens the service life of the spindle assembly;
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causes chatter marks and waviness on machined surfaces, preventing the required surface roughness from being achieved.
For a manufacturer of Class A precision jig boring machines, this is a matter of reputation: positioning accuracy measured in micrometres and fractions of a micrometre can be compromised by any vibration in the spindle assembly. That is why the plant balances the rotating parts of its spindles on a machine with a minimum achievable residual specific unbalance as low as 0.01 g·mm/kg — a level corresponding to the highest balancing accuracy classes under ISO 21940-21:2022 and sufficient for precision machining.
What Sets the PICASSO-5.B Apart?
The VIBROLAB-5 measuring system is a type-approved measuring instrument listed in the Russian State Register of Measuring Instruments (Registration No. 97688-26), with an extended verification interval of three years;
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Outstanding accuracy in its class: a minimum achievable residual specific unbalance of 0.01 g·mm/kg and a dynamic unbalance measurement range from 0.01 to 50,000 g·mm;
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A unique belt drive with highly repeatable belt tension and contact force, combined with a servo motor, provides balancing speeds of up to 6,000 rpm and reduces cycle times in series production by a factor of 2–5 compared with machines using conventional drives;
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An unbalance reduction ratio (URR) of 95 % in a single run, plus automatic rotor indexing to the correction position with an accuracy of ±0.1°;
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Antimagnetic design: the entire machine is made from non-magnetic materials, making it suitable even for rotors containing powerful permanent magnets;
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A service life of 20 years under intensive use, a 24-month warranty and an IP54-rated control cabinet;
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Compact design: the tabletop machine measures 530 × 460 × 490 mm and operates from a standard 230 V single-phase power supply, requiring neither a special foundation nor a separate workshop;
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Remote diagnostics and adjustment by ENSET engineers without the need for an on-site visit.
For customers, the practical benefits also include Russian manufacture, short lead times for spare parts and tooling, Russian-language support and a lower price than imported alternatives with comparable or better metrological performance.
Commissioning: Machine Set-up and Personnel Training
ENSET service engineers carried out commissioning at the customer’s plant. Their work went beyond installation and adjustment: they trained the customer’s staff to operate the machine, checked the balancing tooling and performed trial balancing on actual parts from the plant’s production. This ensured that the customer could balance its own components to the required accuracy from the very first day of operation. This turnkey commissioning service — including training and trial balancing — forms part of ENSET’s comprehensive service offering.
To select a balancing machine for your application and obtain a quotation, contact the ENSET sales team on +7 (863) 275-80-00 or +7 (960) 442-73-51, or email [email protected].
More than 5,000 companies in 28 countries have already chosen ENSET equipment. Customers include businesses in the aerospace, machine-tool and power-generation industries, as well as railway organisations, including Russian Railways (RZD).
Why Do Customers Choose ENSET Balancing Equipment?
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ENSET is a Russian developer and manufacturer with its own production facilities and a 20-year track record, providing design, manufacturing and service directly, without intermediaries;
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Strong scientific foundations: ENSET was established on the basis of the Department of Theory of Mechanisms and Machines at Don State Technical University. The department’s researchers contributed to the development of balancing standards and the Handbook of Balancing;
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A comprehensive solution: selection of a machine to suit the workpiece, supply of balancing tooling, personnel training, trial balancing, warranty and remote technical support;
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Warranty periods of 12 to 60 months across the equipment range, with a service life of 20 years.