Tool care... High-speed handpiece Care and Maintinance.
This article is by Daniel Serrago.
These tips can extend the life of your handpiece until its next rebuild.
First, never use compressed air to blow out dust around the front spindle & motor areas. It will only serve to force some of the dirt into the bearings. The power cord cover can be removed and excess dirt brushed away, also the spindle section can be removed from its housing and dusted off.
Check brushes a couple of times per year. If they are showing too much wear, change them out. Brushes should last for a year or more under normal use. If brushes are lasting much less than a year it could be an indicator of a bad armature. If the armature plates have worn unevenly or the
armature has been overheated allowing the plates to move out of alignment, it can cause the brushes to bounce or vibrate.
As I had mentioned earlier, the chucks are not normally user friendly, it would be very difficult for most techs to remove the chuck and clean out the dirt build up in bottom of the chuck receiver. Normally burs extend out no further than 1/2 inch in a clean receiver. Do not use a handpiece where the bur extends more than 1/4th inch further than it should, it means the chuck receiver is filled with dirt and cannot seat the bur properly. This will increase the loading of the front bearings. Try using a carbide bur of equal or narrower diameter and use it to drill out the compacted dirt. This can help reduce the build up and allow you to keep using your handpiece without causing to much loading to your bearings.
Examine the shank of your burs. You should be looking for a shiny band or an obvious wearing of metal at the point where the chuck grips the bur. This is an indicator the shank is worn or way under tolerance, to thin, and should be discarded. Continued use will shorten the life of the chuck.
Last, always keep a bur locked in the handpiece when not in use. If the handpiece is left open and the foot pedal is accidentally pressed on, the handpiece will not be able to turn. This will cause the armature and brushes to overheat to the point of melting. It can also cause damage to the control
box, depending on how the armature & brushes fail.
Do not spray or put oil into the motor section of the handpiece. The bearings are greased and do not need oil. Also the oil collects by the brushes and armature contacts. The brush dust mixes with the oil and produces a black paste that coats everything. It is time consuming to clean and will collect in the spaces between the contact plates.
These tips can extend the life of your handpiece until its next rebuild.
First, never use compressed air to blow out dust around the front spindle & motor areas. It will only serve to force some of the dirt into the bearings. The power cord cover can be removed and excess dirt brushed away, also the spindle section can be removed from its housing and dusted off.
Check brushes a couple of times per year. If they are showing too much wear, change them out. Brushes should last for a year or more under normal use. If brushes are lasting much less than a year it could be an indicator of a bad armature. If the armature plates have worn unevenly or the
armature has been overheated allowing the plates to move out of alignment, it can cause the brushes to bounce or vibrate.
As I had mentioned earlier, the chucks are not normally user friendly, it would be very difficult for most techs to remove the chuck and clean out the dirt build up in bottom of the chuck receiver. Normally burs extend out no further than 1/2 inch in a clean receiver. Do not use a handpiece where the bur extends more than 1/4th inch further than it should, it means the chuck receiver is filled with dirt and cannot seat the bur properly. This will increase the loading of the front bearings. Try using a carbide bur of equal or narrower diameter and use it to drill out the compacted dirt. This can help reduce the build up and allow you to keep using your handpiece without causing to much loading to your bearings.
Examine the shank of your burs. You should be looking for a shiny band or an obvious wearing of metal at the point where the chuck grips the bur. This is an indicator the shank is worn or way under tolerance, to thin, and should be discarded. Continued use will shorten the life of the chuck.
Last, always keep a bur locked in the handpiece when not in use. If the handpiece is left open and the foot pedal is accidentally pressed on, the handpiece will not be able to turn. This will cause the armature and brushes to overheat to the point of melting. It can also cause damage to the control
box, depending on how the armature & brushes fail.
Do not spray or put oil into the motor section of the handpiece. The bearings are greased and do not need oil. Also the oil collects by the brushes and armature contacts. The brush dust mixes with the oil and produces a black paste that coats everything. It is time consuming to clean and will collect in the spaces between the contact plates.