Planetary reducers have been around for more than 30 years. During this long period of time, planetary gearboxes have gradually entered the field of automation from only appearing in high-end equipment in Europe and the United States, and in recent years they have been widely used in machine tools, semiconductors, packaging and other industries. This equipment will be used in conjunction with planetary speed reducers in the pharmaceutical and food industries, aerospace and other fields. High, medium and low power servo motors with planetary reducers have become standard. What are the applications and benefits of planetary gearboxes? This article will let you know more about planetary gearboxes.
What is a planetary gearbox?
Gear reducers or gearboxes, while originating from ancient metalworking techniques, are the basis for many current innovations. A planetary gearbox is a type of gear reduction, and the internal structure of a planetary gearbox consists of four main parts. They are the sun gear, the planetary gear, the ring gear and the carrier. In this gear train, the outer ring gear is fixed and the sun gear, which is driven by the motor, is located in the center of the gear train, i.e. the input shaft. The sun gear is driven by the motor and at the same time moves the planetary gear which is fixed on the planetary arm. The planetary gear rotates around the shaft of the sun gear in addition to rotating itself. The planetary arm itself is the output shaft (or output shaft) of the gearhead. When the planetary gear runs, it also transmits power from the motor through the travel arm. The operation of this type of wheel system is similar to the orbits of the planets in the solar system, which is how the planetary wheel system got its name. Reducers made from this structure are called planetary reducers.
There are many types of speed reducers with different structural designs and transmission methods, and the planetary speed reducer is only one of them. Even so, planetary reducers can be used in countless different areas and for more purposes than we can imagine. Planetary reducers are versatile, durable, high-precision gear reducers that provide efficient power transmission when used with servo motors or stepper motors. Because of its many advantages, the planetary reducer has a wide range of applications and can get the job done, no matter how complex or harsh the conditions.
What are the advantages of planetary gearboxes?
Advantages of Planetary Reducers.
1. High torque density, in the same volume, can withstand higher torque than other reducers.
2. Cost savings, with planetary gearboxes, designers can use lower power motors, because the power becomes smaller, the overall configuration of the cost is greatly reduced.
3. High precision, accurate to one arc minute.
4. Low noise, as low as 55 decibels.
5. High efficiency, up to 97%.
What are the types and uses of planetary reducers?
Planetary reducers have been developed over the years and are currently available in the following styles.
Output shaft
The planetary gearbox itself has an output shaft, which is coaxial or parallel to the input shaft. There are various forms of output shafts to choose from, such as the common keyed output shaft, which allows the reducer to be connected to the equipment end and assembled quickly and safely. In addition, there are optical shaft or bolt groove shaft, etc., and can be configured with other additional transmission components, such as pulleys, gears, sprockets and so on. The output shaft type planetary reducer has a wide range of applications and is suitable for almost all kinds of automation or mechanical equipment occasions. Such as machine tools, lathes, milling machines, water jet cutting machines, laser cutting machines, bottle blowing machines, rubber and plastic machinery, packaging machinery, CNC metal processing machine automatic loading and unloading automatic door-type robotic arm, and so on.
Flange type
The output side of the reducer is designed with an output flange in accordance with ISO 9409 specification, which can be matched with various pinions, pulleys or couplings meeting this specification, and can be easily and quickly connected to the application machinery and equipment. Flanged planetary gearboxes provide high torsional stiffness due to their structural design and the large diameter of the output flange face, making them particularly suitable for applications where the direction of motion is constantly changing. Commonly used in parallel triangular industrial robots with rack and pinion drive.
Right Angle
Right-angle planetary gearboxes are equipped with 90-degree right-angle gearboxes to output the torque and speed of servo motors in a 90-degree turn, which saves installation space and makes the overall design of the equipment more compact. The output end of the right-angle planetary reducer usually also has two types of output shaft type and flange type for choice, which can be installed and used in any direction, greatly increasing the flexibility of design and installation. Commonly used in automatic mechanical devices with servo motors, optoelectronic panel handling, automatic storage systems, robotic arms, pipe bending machines, unmanned guided vehicles (AGVs), and so on.
Customized Models
World Association has been specializing in the design and manufacture of motors and gearboxes for decades. Highly trained, specialized and experienced R&D engineers and flexible coordinated manufacturing capabilities enable the development of exclusive drive solutions together with our customers. Whether it is a special application environment, high output power or intensity, or special requirements for surface finish or materials, we can design, develop and manufacture to your exact specifications while meeting the performance, quality and cost criteria you expect.