A gear unit is required to convert the torque and speed of an upstream electric motor so that they meet the technical drive requirements of an application. For that reason, the gear unit is the central component of a gearmotor.
Based on the design, size, and gear unit stages, a gear unit transforms the speed of a motor into steps up or steps down. The resulting speed ratio i between the input speed and output speed is therefore one of the most important characteristic values of a gear unit. How powerful a gear unit is and the loads that it can convey depends on its maximum torque, measured in the physical unit newton meters [Nm].
Gear units are distinguished by the type of force flow that they transmit. As a result, there are three basic designs: Parallel-shaft gear units, right-angle gear units, and planetary gear units.
In parallel-shaft gear units and planetary gear units, the input and output shaft are positioned in one direction (on the same level). The power is therefore transmitted in a straight line. Parallel-shaft gear units are available in a helical gear unit or parallel-shaft helical gear unit mounting position.
Planetary gear units are a special form. With them, the power transmission is coaxial. In this case, the speed and torque of the input shaft – the central sun gear – are transmitted to an external annulus gear (on the output side) and transformed by three or more rotating planet gears. Their special feature: The input shaft and output shaft move in the same direction throughout this process. In combination with a servomotor planetary servo gearmotors provide particularly high dynamics and precision.
In right-angle gear units, in contrast, the drive shaft and output shaft are perpendicular to each other – with the result that the flow of force there is diverted at a right angle. There are three established versions of right-angle gear units. They include helical-bevel gear units, helical-worm gear units, and, exclusively from SEW‑EURODRIVE, the SPIROPLAN® right-angle gear unit.
Do you need robust and reliable gear units for your production and logistics? If so, our standard gear units are your perfect solution. Choose between a variety of gear unit types in a huge number of sizes and with a maximum torque of up to 50,000 Nm. You can choose from:
Does your application need powerful dynamics and high precision? Then our servo gearmotors are your ideal choice: Here too, you can use our modular system to combine a huge number of SEW gear units and motors to configure your own custom servo gearmotor. What we offer:
In cleaning-intensive hygiene areas of the food and drinks industry, gear units often come into contact with aggressive acids and alkalines. Our stainless steel gear units are robust, durable, and low-maintenance and specially tailored to such applications. The high-quality stainless steel housing with surfaces optimized for cleaning make this gear unit resistant to chemicals and dirt.
If plants and machines are exposed to environments with air and gas or air and dust mixtures due to the type of production involved, the strictest explosion protection regulations are applicable worldwide due to this hazard. Naturally, they also apply to the drive technology in question. With that in mind, most of our standard gear units and servo gear units are available in an explosion-proof design – which conforms with the most important regulations and standards for the global market, from ATEX to IECEx to HazLoc-NA®.
If you like solving problems, give our little puzzle a try :-)
A little tip:
The picture shows three of our standard gearmotors – parallel-shaft helical gearmotors, helical gearmotors and helical-bevel gearmotors. And each type stands for a particular number.
Once you’ve worked out these numbers, the solution is obvious, isn’t it?
As their name suggests, parallel-shaft helical gear units also have a parallel-shaft design. Power transmission takes place parallel to the axis, but the output shaft is lower down. This makes parallel-shaft helical gearmotors ideal for confined spaces.
Our parallel-shaft helical gear unit / parallel-shaft helical gearmotor stands for the number 10!
Helical-bevel gear units form a 90°C angle. They belong to the "family" of right-angle gear units because their input and output shafts are arranged perpendicular to one another. This enables the power flow to be deflected at a right angle. Our helical-bevel gear units benefit from particularly wear-free gear components. This increases efficiency and thus saves on energy costs.
Our helical-bevel gear unit / helical-bevel gearmotor stands for the number 2!
Have you worked it out? Congratulations!
The grand total is:
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Many machines and systems are controlled centrally from a control cabinet. This control cabinet contains controllers, frequency inverters, power supply, safety devices and much more. But, control cabinet space is expensive. The larger a machine or system becomes, the larger the control cabinets become, and the more complex the changes in the system can be.
With a decentralized concept, many functions migrate from the control cabinet to the system or machine – close to the places where, for example, controllers or inverters are also required. The system can be configured and tested in a modular manner, the cabling effort in the control cabinet is reduced massively, and energy efficiency is increased.
Customer needs are changing faster and faster. Factories have to adapt to changing demands. Customized products, i.e. batch size 1, are virtually standard nowadays, with mass production being used almost exclusively for consumables.
Decentralized drive and automation technology enables this flexibility in manufacturing to quickly adapt production lines to new products or changing demand. Instead of rigid conveyor technology, these processes can be quickly and easily adapted to new workflows. And in contrast to centrally controlled systems, no major programming and cabling work is required.
Concepts for decentralized drive technology move the intelligence and the controlling electronics (frequency inverter) from the control cabinet to the drive. The power and control electronics can be mounted directly on the motor housing. The intelligence for controlling the motor is thus relocated from the control cabinet to the drive. However, if there is not enough space, for example, the electronics can also be placed close to the motor, i.e. in a remote position.
The advantages of a decentralized installation only arise from a certain size of the plant and a certain number of decentralized drives.
In classic decentralized drives, the frequency inverter moves to or close to the motor - these can be asynchronous motors or servo motors. However, depending on the production, for example in food production, asynchronous motors cannot always be used, as these usually have a fan and cooling fins for heat dissipation. This fan can distribute germs with the air flow. The cooling fins are not easy to clean.
Mechatronics, i.e. the complete integration of motor, gearbox and converter in one housing concept, offers many advantages. On the one hand, space is saved because the gear unit and motor are directly intermeshed. In addition, the converter and control technology is adapted to the application. If a fanless motor, such as a servomotor, is used as the drive, the heat generated only has to be dissipated via an easy-to-clean housing.
We call this integration and high functional compression mechatronics. Therefore, our MOVIGEAR® is also a mechatronic drive solution.
Complete automation is possible with the MOVI-C® modular automation system from SEW-EURODRIVE. This means an integrated solution, one manufacturer – from the software for planning, startup, operation and diagnostics to electronic control units and mechanical drives. You receive all the necessary automation components from a single source. Naturally, they can be fully integrated into all automation concepts, fieldbus topologies and network standards. You are completely free to choose your own communication topology. MOVI-C® offers you all the benefits of communication: from PROFIBUS and Industrial Ethernet to Modbus or, in future, OPC UA.