These days, engineers and machine operators have a lot of different types of transmissions to choose from when looking for the ideal speed drive for a particular application. Identifying the most appropriate gearbox is something of a challenge, but the fixed speed drive is often the answer.
This is because the motor of a fixed speed gearbox can serve multiple purposes and can be used in a wide variety of applications, with this versatility making it one of the most common speed drives for industrial applications.
Why Choose a Fixed Speed Gearbox?
Mechanical fixed speed drives are robust, reliable and are a cost effective speed reduction solution. Of course, a lot of the fixed speed drive solutions available today will have similar primary capabilities and capacities, but you can usually determine which one you need due to other factors such as the speed it is fixed at or the durability of the gearbox. Even factors like the type of lubrication the speed reducer requires might influence the final decision.
Fixed speed gearboxes offer a wide selection of combinations and there will usually be something ideal for each application.
Fixed Speed Geared Motor Units Trains
Some engineers will want gearboxes and geared motor units with multiple gear pairs for a particular application, with the gear pairs either operating parallel to each other or on different axes. They can also come with intersecting shafts or with shafts that do not intersect with each other. Multiple gear pairs are called gear trains and are frequently employed to produce higher speed ratios with more compact units.
Planetary Gear Motor Units
A planetary gear motor unit is a type of gear train where a planetary gear rotates on its own axis. Meanwhile the axis itself rotates around a separate gear, usually called the ‘sun gear’ due to its central placing in the geared motor unit. This design is also known as an epicyclic gearing and they are often used in industrial applications that use robotic arms.
The more planetary geared motor units used in the gear train, the greater the torque capacity of the application.
Fixed Speed Reducers
Fixed speed gearboxes mostly have just one fixed reduction ratio, though there are some exceptions. The most common single fixed reduction ratio gear motor units generally have two varieties, one being mounted on the shaft and the other mounted on the base.
There are also variations within these variations, for example: the shaft-mounted gearbox can either be entirely supported by the drive’s input shaft, or it can be mounted on the housing of the driven shaft. The former has to absorb the torque reaction and weight fluctuations via a special link, while the latter doesn’t need to absorb any torque or weight fluctuations.
If you need any gearboxes or geared motor units, then contact YB Components who are the UK’s leading gearboxes suppliers.