Gearmotors
A gearmotor involves two elements, the motor itself and the
reduction gears that allow it to use a small amount of energy to drive a large amount of force. A major plus to using this system is that it simplifies the design and manufacturing of power tools and machines that require high torque while functioning on low shaft speeds so that the revolutions per minute speed is also low. The amount of energy being used is less, but that is not affecting the power of the machines. This process is more cost-efficient as well as being an energy saver. A common industry where gearmotors are employed is the automotive, in areas of a car like the windshield wipers and power windows. Lifting devices in medical and manufacturing industries are other examples. Other basic appliances include mechanical clocks, power drills, washing machines, and cake mixers. These motors are also used to power a wide variety of tools such as mixing machines, cranes, jacks, clamps and conveyance machines.
When purchasing a gearmotor, important factors to consider include continuous torque, shaft speed, continuous current and continuous output power. A large part of figuring these elements out has to do with looking at the two types of motor options available for gearmotors; DC motors and AC motors. Continuous torque is the motor's output torque ability, while shaft speed is the
DC motor voltage. The term continuous current represents the largest rated current that can be delivered to the motor without problems. The mechanical power supplied by the motor output is referred to as its continuous output power. For
AC gearmotors, relevant factors to consider include phase, voltage, frequency, and motor construction. Important gearing factors to keep in mind are the gearbox ratio, gearing arrangement and gearbox efficiency. Gearmotor feedback can be provided by several additional options, including integral resolvers, intergral encoders and integral tachometers. Other issues to take into account before choosing a gearmotor are design units, motor shape, diameter/width, shaft orientation/type, housing size, etc.
