[Jewelry making - Article 00306] - Re: [Orchid] Techno X handpiece problems

[Peter W . Rowe]

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>          So let me get this one point straight. You're saying it is
>     perfectly okay to change burs while the TechnoX is running? 

    Rrom what the original manufacturer said, the current manufacturers
    of  the new versions say, and my own impressions when having these
    apart, I believe  that is indeed just fine from the standpoint of the
    handpiece.   I'd caution you, though, to be careful of grabbing a
    rapidly spinning tool to remove it,  even after opening the lever. 
    You can still ding a finger pretty well with a  larger sharper bur,
    just from the slight torque tne open collet still exerts.   So I'm
    not suggesting you keep your foot on the pedal running the thing at
    full  tilt while chaning burs.  You'll hurt yourself.  You just don't
    need to sit  there twiddling your thumbs waiting for that nice ball
    bearing motor to come to a full stop.  Take your foot off the pedal. 
    Then, if you like, change the bur  as the handpiece slows down. 

    Now, it IS true that if the handpiece is running, and the bur held
    in  your fingers is then not, there will be friction between the
    shank of the bur  and the inner jaws of the collet.  Especially with
    high speed steel setting burs, which have a "ground' finish on those
    shanks, this may create increased wear on the collet.  And that IS
    the type of wear that eventually wears out collets.  So don't open
    the collet, grab the bur, and just hold it fixed while the  chuck
    still rotates around it for extended periods of time grinding on the
    bur. But I believe that the usual brief moments of this wear from
    changing burs  with the handpieces not yet stopped should be a very
    very minimal contributor to  the overall wear on the chuck.  One
    normally removes the burs quite quickly,  and the added rotational
    motion of the chuck shouldn't make much difference.  At  least,
    that's how I see it... Now, if your collet isn't adjusted properly
    for a  given bur shank,  so a bur is tight and hard to remove, then
    obviously, don't  push the issue.  Let the handpiece come to a stop
    before you wrestle that tight  shank out of the collet. 

    As an aside,  from what I've been able to see, the Faro types of 
    handpiece also shouldn't suffer additional damage TO THE COLLET OR
    BEARINGS from opening the chuck while they are still moving, any more
    than the Techno style  handpiece. The problem with these others
    (including, I think, the Ney type with it's press in lever) is that
    the cam in the opening lever is running against  rotating parts with
    just a bit of grease to reduce friction rather than against a 
    non-rotating ball bearing housing, as in the Techno.  So using the
    lever as a brake,  or opening these handpieces while running (or
    running them without a bur  too, I think) creates rapid wear on the
    cam and it's bearing surfaces.  The cams on the 46aros don't last
    long, as a result, unless you're careful to let them  stop. 

    Some of this, with various handpieces, you can tell just from how
    they  operate. The Technos don't give you any perception of braking
    or slowing the  handpiece when operating the quick change lever. 
    That should tell you no  additional friction or wear is being
    induced.  Other handpieces may give you a  distinct grinding noise or
    vibration when you operate the lever.  that's an  obvious clue... 

cheers
Peter

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