View A Video on Speed Reducers - A Quick IntroductionSpeed 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.
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Speed Reducer Types
- 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.
- 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.
- are spiral gear reducers used in applications
involving high shock loads. Helical reducers may require a larger
initial investment, but maintain high efficiency.
- 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 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
- A device that creates automatic motion by
converting various forms of energy to rotary or linear mechanical energy.
- Also referred to as "endplay." The
movement of the end of a motor or gear shaft. Usually measured in thousandths
of an inch.
- A condition in which a speed reducer's
output shaft moves, but the input shaft remains motionless.
- A
rotating disk shaped to convert circular into linear motion.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Is a unit of work equal to 33,000
foot pounds per minute, 550 foot pounds per second, or 746 Watts.
- The difference in the output state of a mechanical system with respect
to input history; a component of bi-directional repeatability.
- The amount of input power generated by a motor that a speed reducer
can accept.
- Motion lost because of mechanical hysteresis,
backlash, or torsion related stiffness in a rotational control system.
- The amount of power that a speed reducer can safely manage before
the occurrence of overload.
- The placement of a speed
reducer input shaft and output shaft.
- The power that
a speed reducer releases from the output shaft, which depends on the
speed reducer's efficiency.
- 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.
- A rating measuring a speed reducer's
continuous transmission of power.
