Atlanta Drive Systems, Inc. recently announced an expansion of their range of Precision Planetary Rack and Pinion Drive Systems. There are now three different planetary drive systems available, with helical or straight (spur) rack and pinions, to meet any application requirements. For ultra-precise applications with thrust forces up to 28,000 lb., the HighForce ZTRS rack and pinion drive systems are very well suited. These drives, which are available in five sizes with backlash levels down to one arc-minute, can handle highly dynamic and heavy loads. They utilize precision planetary reducers with an integral output housing and outboard bearing to provide a rigid support to the output pinion.

For precise applications with thrust forces up to 12,000 lb., the ZTR and ZR rack and pinion drive systems are now available.  These drives, which are available in seven sizes with backlash levels down to one arc-minute, are similar to the ZTRS drive systems but without the outboard bearing support.  The drive pinions are flange mounted to the reducer output, providing tight integration of the driven load, while allowing replacement of the pinion if needed.

For more economical and lighter duty applications with thrust forces up to 4,500 lb., planetary reducers with solid output shafts are also available for mounting bored pinions directly via keyways or compression couplings.

These drives are perfect for a wide range of applications, such as traveling gantries and columns, pick and place robots, machine tools, CNC routers and material handling systems. Zero backlash rack and pinion drive systems are also possible by using two reducers to share driving the load during acceleration while removing the axis backlash to ensure precise positioning. Applications for these systems can be found in the material handling, automation, aerospace, woodworking, machine tool and robotics industries.