As equipment and systems in heavy-duty industries like machine tools, robotics, composites, wire and cable, and industrial automation continually take on more demanding tasks, the need for planetary gear reducers has never been greater. Each type of planetary gear reducer offers distinct characteristics that directly influence overall machine performance. Beyond general factors like high torque and speed control, it’s important to know what features to look for to help meet your expectations. Here is a summary of what makes a top-notch planetary gear reducer that will deliver the uncompromising performance that present and future industrial systems demand.
When selecting a planetary gearbox, look for a unit that offers these critical features:
- Stiffness and precision. High stiffness reduces deformations and torsional backlash that can lead to lost motion, or positioning error, that can otherwise hinder accuracy and precision, especially when it comes to high-load applications requiring dynamic motion and precise positioning.
- High torque and efficiency. Minimizing the load inertia that reflects back to the motor helps eliminate overshooting and improve a system’s responsiveness. The result: high transmission efficiency. Planetary gearboxes are constructed to achieve this by sharing the load across multiple planet gears meshing with a sun gear and ring gear. Keep in mind, however, that each mesh point is a potential source of friction. If torque is not shared equally, efficiency is lost and the gearbox can generate damaging heat.
- Low backlash. This lost motion occurs when gears reverse during acceleration, steady state and deceleration. Backlash reduces positioning accuracy and can even cause damage to nearby components. For the highest precision, be sure to select a planetary gearbox with minimal to zero backlash.
- Smooth motion. When planet gears do not mesh well, vibrations can be generated. Without smooth motion, positioning accuracy suffers and backlash can occur.
- Durability. Planetary gearboxes are often used in demanding applications where failure and downtime are not options. And because their effectiveness depends on the close tolerances between the gears, any wear that occurs will affect backlash and cause vibrations, hindering overall precision and performance.
- Modularity. An ideal reducer can be combined with other gear reducer and drive components to create a zero backlash drive system.
Right Angle Gear Reducers Built for Stiffness and Precision
Redex SRP, DRP, KRP and KRPX planetary gear reducers are optimized for stiffness and precision. Highlights of the lineup include superior torsion stiffness, ultra high output radial stiffness and tilting moment and minimal backlash of 1 to 3 arc minutes thanks to their helical gear design. Redex’s patented assembly is designed to share loads between the gears for greater efficiency and smooth motion.
The gear reducers are built tough, with induction hardened gear teeth that resist deformations, plus a wide temperature range. In addition, the side-mounted KRPX housing is designed to act as a rigid frame extension. The reducer lineup is also highly modular, allowing designers to implement a multi-stage preloaded reducer and motor drive system without backlash by leveraging two Redex-patented preloading technologies: DualDRIVE, which achieves a mechanical preload by spring loading or torsionally winding one pinion against the other, and Twin DRIVE, a technology that electrically brakes one pinion against the other. DualDRIVE requires just one motor, and TwinDRIVE systems incorporate two motors and gearboxes.
Additional features of the Redex planetary gearbox family include:
- Excellent acceleration.
- High input speeds.
- Available in a wide variety of sizes, torque ranges and reduction ratios.
- In-line or right angle arrangements.
- Compact sizes available.
For more information, please visit our product page.