Using a large motor as a direct drive so-lution is seldom economic in terms of system efficiency and space. The use of gearing to adapt motor to load enables an optimised drive solution to be ob-tained. The most common gearbox types are spur and planetary.
Spur Gearboxes are especially advanta-geous in applications requiring lowest input friction and highest gear efficiency. Ratio starting from 4 to 15,000. Max Torque up to 10Nm. Available in square flange from 30x30mm to 70x70mm.
Battery-operated or portable equipment where supply current may be limited are good examples. In-line and offset ver-sions are available in a wide range of ratios. The design of a planetary gearbox enables a high ratio to be utilised in a single stage with the result that torque transmission is maximised and gearbox size minimised.
Therefore, planetary gearboxes really come into their own when the require-ments are highest rated torque in the smallest package. Ratio starting from 4 to 1,140. Max Torque up to 25Nm. Avail-able in round flange from diameter 32mm to 60mm.