Planetary gears, or epicyclic gears, consist of three or more outer gears, referred to as planet gears, which revolve around a central gear, also known as a sun gear. The allusions to the solar system refer to the design of the planetary gear; all of the gears in the planet gear are in one plane and are grouped around each other much like the planets surround the sun.
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Omni Gear & Machine CorporationJoliet, IL 800-876-7216 At Omni G & M Corporation, experienced and dedicated engineers specialize in precision machined custom planetary gears in addition to many more similar products in a variety of sizes and types for use in any type of application. Omni stocks a large selection of materials including bronze, synthetic, fibre and alloys up to 12 inches in diameter. No job is too large or too small for Omni.
Commercial Gear & Sprocket Company, Inc.East Walpole, MA 800-491-1073 CGS has the machining experience you need. This 3rd generation family owned company has been producing quality planetary gears & other power transmission products at competitive prices since 1946. With a customer list that represents many industries, CGS supplies products to such businesses as tool builders, construction equipment suppliers & medical equipment providers.
Sherbrooke Gear Works, Inc.Sherbrooke, QC 819-566-1040 By providing many innovative products and services, Sherbrooke largely surpasses other companies that offer more limited manufacturing. Not only does Sherbrooke design, create and produce planetary gears, Sherbrooke also offers a large variety of personalized fabrication and outsourcing services to satisfy all your engineering needs. Call today or visit Sherbrooke's website for more information!
Supreme Gear Co.Fraser, MI 586-775-6325 Founded over 60 years ago, Supreme Gear Company is a privately owned Hispanic Minority Company. We are both AS9100:2004 and ISO 9100-2008 certified. We provide quality planetary gears for many aircraft companies including Boeing. We are committed to achieving complete customer satisfaction and strive to continuously improve our efficiency and effectiveness.
G & K Machine Co.Commerce City, CO 800-455-0603 Geared to serve you since 1961, G & K Machine Company specializes in the machining and repair requirements of the underground mining industry. Planetary gear manufacturing was an outgrowth of these needs and has become the backbone of this company. Adding computer controlled equipment in the 1980s, G & K developed into a full service job shop capable of meeting the needs of most industries.
Reliance Gear CorporationAddison, IL 630-543-6640 As a precision manufacturer of quality planetary gears and more for the past forty years, Reliance has been serving many reputable firms in a wide variety of industries such as defense, construction & agricultural equipment, graphic web presses and well drilling machinery. Breakdown situations, prototype machinery and obsolete parts present special challenges that Reliance welcomes.
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Planetary Gears
Planetary gears are crucial in complex automotive transmissions, drive trains and other applications where complex gear ratios are required for smooth torque transmission. These complex and drastic gear ratios are possible since planetary gears have the ability to produce different gear ratios depending on which gear is used as the input, which gear is the output and which gear is stationary. Planet gears are also used in industrial automation and motion control applications such as wind turbines, bicycles, helicopters, heavy machinery, electric motors and paper feeders. Some advantages of planetary gears include high power density, increased torque capability, pure torsional reactions and large reduction in small volumes. However, there are disadvantages to using planet wheels as well, which include design complexity, high bearing loads and inaccessibility. Planetary gears are often used in industries such as marine, automotive, mining, military, commercial, construction, chemical processing, aerospace and agricultural.
Planetary gears typically come in sets of two or more that operate on or inside larger industrial gears; these are referred to as planetary gear systems. In a planetary gear system the exterior gears interlock with the inward-facing teeth of a larger internal gear, increasing the output speed of the large outer gear through rotational torque applied to the internal sun gear. The four main components that make up these planetary gear sets are the sun gear, the ring gear, the planet pinions and the planet carrier. The sun gear is the center of the planetary gear system. The ring gear, or internal gear, is named due to both its shape and its internal teeth and connects the epicyclic gear set to an output shaft. The planetary pinions are gears with a small number of teeth designed to mesh with a larger wheel, which is the ring gear. Engaged simultaneously by the sun gear, each of the planetary gears applies torque to the ring gear, which in turn supplies torque to the output shaft. The planetary pinions are attached to a rotating plate, which is the planet carrier. In order for the planetary gear set to function, either the sun gear, planet carrier or ring gear must be held stationary. While one is held stationary, one of the remaining two components serves as the input and provides power to the system, while the other serves as the output and receives power from the system. The ratio of input rotation to output rotations depends upon two key factors: the number of teeth in each gear and which component is held stationary.
