Speed Reducers

Speed reducers are designed to change the rotational speed from an input shaft into a lower output speed. During equipment operation, the motor transmits power to the input shaft of the reducer. The speed reducer then converts this power into lower output speed, which the reducer transmits to the connected load through the output shaft.

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DieQua Corporation
Bloomingdale, IL
630-980-1133
DieQua is a manufacturer and supplier of the widest range of speed reducers, including helical & helical/bevel gear motors, inline & right angle servo gear heads, low backlash spiral bevel gearboxes and customized gearbox designs. DieQua also has the experience and know-how to help you select the optimal gear technology for your unique application.
Boston Gear
Charlotte, NC
800-825-6544
Boston Gear, a leader in speed reducing technology, has the industry's most comprehensive breadth of product solutions for the packaging machinery and corrugated markets. Key product solutions include a variety standard and custom options. Our customer service and tech support teams, located in different time zones to better serve customer needs, are trained and ready to help.
Drive-All Manufacturing Co., Inc.
Avoca, MI
800-689-3400
Drive-All Manufacturing is a leading designer and manufacturer of speed reducers including multi-speed reducers, increasers and custom pulleys for many industries. At Drive-All, their innovative engineers can and will provide a level of service and expertise beyond your expectations. Contact Driver-All today for a solution to your speed control demands!
NORD Gear Corporation
Waunakee, WI
888-314-6673
At NORD Gear, we pride ourselves on the reliability and ease of operation of our products. As the creator of UNICASE housing, NORD specializes in speed reducers, in addition to many other varying speed control equipment. Since 1965, NORD has been listening to the needs of their customers, so give them a call today and they will provide what you are looking for. We serve a variety of industries.
Cleveland Gear Company
Cleveland, OH
800-423-3169
Cleveland Gear Co. has specialized in speed control technology including a variety of quality manufactured speed reducers since 1912. You will find that their products have uncompromising quality, making all others less than the best. Why is that? Cleveland will fulfill your exact requirements and that`s what continues to make Cleveland Gear one of the top manufactures of gears.
Motor & Gear Engineering, Inc.
Doraville, GA
770-454-9001
Motor & Gear Engineering is a professional electric motor manufacturer that offers a variety of motors including AC motors, DC electric motors, electric generator sets and a variety of speed reducers. Furthermore, M&G offers full custom machine shop capabilities including CNC turning and milling and metal fabrication/welding services. They also provide you with consulting and repair services.

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View A Video on Speed Reducers - A Quick Introduction

Speed Reducers


Various terms are applied to speed reducers to help differentiate between their qualities. Sometimes these terms are used in a more general sense though they can also be used to refer to a specific device. Gear reducers are used to minimize power size and total machine size and handle heavy shock loads. This term is often used interchangeably with gear drives, mechanisms used to provide a variable output speed from a constant speed power source or to increase torque for a variable speed power source. Gear boxes are similar and are referred to as gear heads when they are mounted directly onto a motor instead of just a shaft. Gearmotors consist of either an AC or DC motor that generates mechanical energy from electrical energy with a gear box or gear head that distributes speed up or down. Speed reducers rely on reduction gears to perform their function of decreasing the number of rotations per minute. They are made of strong durable metal like steel and are available in a wide range of sizes and reduction ratios, the ratios of the input speed to the output speed. Other specialized speed reducers include cyclo reducers, inline gear reducers, planetary gearboxes, right angle gear boxes, worm gear reducers, shaft mounted speed reducers and variable speed reducers.

Speed reducers are known by many names and are available with a variety of modifications to suit the right purpose. Each one is designed with specific load and torque capacities. Speed reducers contain a set of gears and input and output shafts. Speed reducers are utilized by a wide variety of industries. Common industries in which speed reducers are found include the materials handling, automotive, aerospace, recreational, construction, food and beverage processing, oil, gas and textile industries. Speed reducers are used in a variety of applications, including automation equipment, conveyors, compressors, printing presses, pumps, compressors, generator and robotics applications and are widely used in metallurgy machinery, mine machinery, robotics, construction machinery and other industrial machines. Reducers are advantageous in many situations for a large number of processes and equipment. The benefits of using speed reducers include speed optimization, performance improvement and increased equipment longevity. In addition, a wide array of gear configurations is available for use in different applications.

Cyclo reducers are mechanisms used for reducing the speed of an input shaft by a certain ratio through use of rolling elements. These reducers gain their effectiveness through use of a round disc that rotates off center, slowing the input speed. In inline gear reducers, the input shaft is aligned with the output shaft. Inline gear reducers are used in a system with other components in order to decrease the incoming speed and power so that the parts that follow are able to handle the power and operate effectively. A planetary gearbox has a sun gear, planet gears and a ring gear that are able to produce many different reduction ratios because of the different planet gears that revolve around the sun gear. Right angle gear boxes contain input shafts that are positioned perpendicularly to the output shafts. Worm gear reducers are right angle speed reducers used in applications involving low horsepower. Worm gear reducers maintain high gear ratios, high shock tolerance, and compact design. Shaft mounted speed reducers are compact in size and eliminate the need for a foundation and coupling because they are mounted directly on the drive shaft. Variable speed drives are devices that control the rotational speed of an alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC) electric motor. Process control and energy conservation are two benefits gained by using a variable speed drive.  

Speed reducers have been in use for many years; the oldest gears and shafts were made of wood. Modern engineering has led to innovations that allow these mechanisms to be very compact and much smaller than they used to be. Precision machining during the manufacturing process for the gears and shafts ensures a close fit for the gear teeth. This maintains high levels of energy with minimal energy loss; many speed reducers are able to achieve efficiencies above 90%. Newer devices are requiring less electricity or fuel to operate, which also helps increase the efficiency. Reduction ratios continue to improve and reach new levels that were not possible in the past. Complex designs and assemblies such as those found in planetary gearboxes are able to routinely perform, even in repetitive or heavy duty situations. Even innovations as seemingly simple as flanged output shafts can help facilitate the assembly of a gear box in a confined or hard to reach space. Manufacturers are continually striving to reach higher operational reliability and increased power capacities with fewer parts.
 

speed reducers
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Speed Reducer Types

  • Cyclo reducers are mechanisms used for reducing the speed of an input shaft by a certain ratio through use of rolling elements. Cycloidal reducers gain their effectiveness through use of a round disc that rotates off center.
  • Gear boxes lower motor speed through an increase in torque and a decrease in output speed. Gear boxes contain a set of gears in addition to input and output shafts.
  • Gear drives are mechanisms designed to alter the speed, torque or direction of rotating shafts using gear ratios. They are used to provide a variable output speed from a constant speed power source or to increase torque for a variable speed power source.
  • Gear reducers are used to minimize power size and total machine size and handle heavy shock loads. Most gear reducers are lightweight and have low consumption while maintaining heavy transmission torque and steady startup.
  • Gearmotors consist of either an AC or DC motor that generates mechanical energy from electrical energy with a gear box or gear head that distributes speed up or down. 
  • Inline gear reducers are mechanisms that reduce the speed, torque or direction of an input shaft using gear ratios that are aligned along the same centerline. That is, the input shaft is aligned with the output shaft.
  • Helical gear reducers are spiral gear reducers used in applications involving high shock loads. Helical reducers may require a larger initial investment, but maintain high efficiency.
  • Parallel gear boxes are speed reducers containing parallel input and output shafts. Parallel gear reducers offer great flexibility, but tend to be more costly than inline gearboxes.
  • A planetary gearbox is a mechanism that lowers the speed or torque of a rotating input shaft by using a system of gears that revolves around a central gear. There are three main components in a planetary gearbox: the sun gear, the planet gears and the ring gear. 
  • Reduction gears are mechanisms that lower the speed or torque of a rotating input shaft through use of gears with varying circumferences. Speed reducers such as gearboxes rely on reduction gears to perform their function of decreasing the number of rotations per minute.
  • Right angle gear boxes contain input shafts that are positioned perpendicular to the output shafts. Right angle speed reducers have up to 98% efficiency levels, and are common in printing presses and glass cutting equipment.
  • Shaft mounted speed reducers are mechanisms designed to alter the speed, torque or direction of rotating input shafts while mounted on the drive shaft.
  • Spur reducers contain gears which have teeth that are straight and run parallel to the axis of revolution. These are used primarily for use in parallel shafts.
  • Variable speed drives are devices that control the rotational speed of an electric motor. They may be mechanical, electromechanical, hydraulic or electronic depending on the demand and are compatible with alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC) motors, though the vast majority are for AC motors only.
  • Worm gear speed reducers are right angle speed reducers used in applications involving low horsepower. Worm gear reducers maintain high gear ratios, high shock tolerance, and compact design.



Speed Reducers Terms

Actuator - A device that creates automatic motion by converting various forms of energy to rotary or linear mechanical energy.

Axial Movement - Also referred to as "endplay." The movement of the end of a motor or gear shaft. Usually measured in thousandths of an inch.

Backlash - A condition in which a speed reducer's output shaft moves, but the input shaft remains motionless.

Cam - A rotating disk shaped to convert circular into linear motion.

Efficiency - The measurement, stated as a percentage, of a speed reducer's ability to perform adequate speed reduction. Efficiency represents the comparison of power input and power output.

Endshield - The part of a motor that houses the bearing supporting the rotor and acts as a protective guard to the internal parts of the motor; sometimes called the endbell, endplate or end bracket.

Gear Ratio - With regard to speed reducers, the ratio that represents the comparison between the input speed of the gearmotor and the output speed of the gear head.

Horsepower - Is a unit of work equal to 33,000 foot pounds per minute, 550 foot pounds per second, or 746 Watts.

Hysterisis - The difference in the output state of a mechanical system with respect to input history; a component of bi-directional repeatability.

Input Horsepower - The amount of input power generated by a motor that a speed reducer can accept.

Lost Motion - Motion lost because of mechanical hysteresis, backlash, or torsion related stiffness in a rotational control system.

Mechanical Rating - The amount of power that a speed reducer can safely manage before the occurrence of overload.

Mounting Position - The placement of a speed reducer input shaft and output shaft.

Output Horsepower - The power that a speed reducer releases from the output shaft, which depends on the speed reducer's efficiency.

Output Shaft - The part of the speed reducer to which the driven equipment is connected. The output shaft is responsible for the power transmission to the driven equipment.

Thermal Rating - A rating measuring a speed reducer's continuous transmission of power.