Shaft mounted speed reducers are mechanisms designed to alter the speed, torque or direction of rotating input shafts while mounted on the drive shaft. SMSRs, as shaft mounted speed reducers are frequently referred to, are compact in size and eliminate the need for a foundation and coupling.
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In a shaft mounted speed reducer, the drive shaft transmits torque and rotation and usually connects components of a drive train; mounting a speed reducer directly onto the shaft is convenient and removes all possibilities of alignment problems or coupling issues. Also, since these are mounted on the shaft, the need for an expensive adjustable base plate or mounting is removed. Shaft mounted speed reducers provide the standard reduction ratios of 5:1, 13:1 and 20:1 and are over 95% efficient. Typically, gear boxes are coupled with the shaft then base mounted but SMSRs eliminate that step. These speed reducers are able to handle both forward and reverse motion and can be mounted in any position on the drive shaft. SMSRs are made of a strong metal such as cast iron or steel. They are widely used in material handling equipment such as conveyors and elevators as well as in food processing, pharmaceutical plants, printing machinery, steel mills, engineering applications and more.
Most speed reducers rely on reduction gears to perform their processes. Reduction gears use at least two gears to convert the rotations per minute from the input shaft into a slower speed for the output shaft. By using gears with different circumferences to transfer energy, these speed reducers allow the input shaft to maintain its rotational speed while using gears and multiple stages to transfer the torque and rotational power to an output shaft. Multistage gears may be used to achieve high reduction ratios; single stage reductions typically range from 5:1 to 200:1. With multiple assemblies, ratios of 1,000:1 can be reached. SMSRs are not the only variation of speed reducers available. When a speed reducer is coupled with the shaft and mounted elsewhere it is called a gear box. The input and output shafts of an inline gear reducer are on the same centerline. Worm gear reducers are best for applications with low horsepower because they are not designed for heavy duty usage. Like all devices used to alter the speed, torque and direction of the input, shaft mounted speed reducers are available in different styles and capabilities to accommodate a variety of mountings, gear ratios and efficiency requirements.
