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Planetary

PRODUCT NEWS | 2025-04-02

Faulhaber Offers New Performance Class with new Planetary Gearhead Sizes

The new members of the Faulhaber metal planetary gearhead family are the 14GPT and 16GPT. The compact additions to the series deliver high torque with minimal volume, making them ideal for
demanding applications where space is limited. They are extremely robust, capable of withstanding frequent and sudden load changes, and operate with high efficiency. The gearheads can be
combined with a wide range of motors.

TECHNICAL ARTICLES | 2025-02-14

Statistical Analysis of the Position Tolerances of Planet Pins in Planetary Gearboxes

Study uses a Monte Carlo simulation to investigate the influence of tolerances on the load capacity.

TECHNICAL ARTICLES | 2024-09-13

UGRacing’s Gear Train Solutions from Combustion to Electric

UGRacing is the University of Glasgow’s Formula Student team. Since its inception in 2005, the team has been working to compete at Formula Student UK (FSUK). Over the last decade, the team has grown to over 150 members across ten disciplines. With a strong focus on knowledge transfer and iterative design, the team has worked year after year to develop new technologies and a more refined package. In 2022, the team saw a culmination of all their hard work when they placed first overall in FSUK with their final internal combustion vehicle. The following switch to an electric powertrain brought new challenges. Through the constraint of a new powertrain architecture, the team has explored and innovated drivetrain concepts which, in future years, will improve vehicle performance.

PRODUCT NEWS | 2024-01-23

Redex Differential Gearboxes Ensure Lay Consistency for Wire Bunching Equipment

When it comes to twisting and bunching wire and cable, consistency is key. For example, the amount of insulation required for residential wiring depends on the wire’s lay — the distance between its twists, which is also known as the pitch. Without tight control during the wire bunching process, lay variations occur. As a result, the wire will require more insulation than necessary, raising its cost. A differential gearbox can drive rotating components in a single-twist buncher to provide a more uniform lay, using less power at a lower cost than a two-motor approach.

INDUSTRY NEWS | 2023-06-30

Andantex to Rebrand as Redex

Andantex USA Inc. will be renamed Redex USA Inc., according to Thomas Osygus, vice president of sales and marketing, Redex USA. "Our name is changing, but we will continue to offer the same high-quality motion control systems you’ve come to expect from us for over 40 years."

FEATURE ARTICLES | 2023-04-06

Having a Ball: The Technology Behind the Ball Drop

More than a billion people around the world unite to ring in the New Year, their eyes set upon the glittering New Year’s Ball in Manhattan. Thousands are gathered at Times Square — the famed “Bow Tie” of Midtown — braving the December cold and peering through glasses with numerically shaped frames. Millions more tune in from their various screens at home.
With so much riding on its descent, the Ball, along with the mechanical and electrical systems responsible for its operation, must operate like clockwork.

TECHNICAL ARTICLES | 2023-04-06

On the Potential of High-Ratio Planetary Gearboxes for Next-Generation Robotics

The earliest example of a gear train dates to at least 2,000 B.C. when Chinese engineers built a chariot that used a complex planetary mechanism made of wooden gears to let a dragon head continuously point south when driven around (Ref. 1). In Greece, a surprisingly advanced Antikythera gearbox mechanism, incorporating at least 37 precisely crafted bronze gears, was built years later, between 205–60 B.C. (Ref. 2).

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TECHNICAL ARTICLES | 2023-03-21

Ball Bearing Inner Ring Fits and Creep

I think I spend more time talking about ball bearings today than at any other time in my career. Ball bearings have always had a large place in automotive, but not typically in high demand positions—other than a few niche areas. High demand positions, such as axles and planetaries, were typically reserved for tapers, needles and cylindricals. The landscape is changing quickly.

TECHNICAL ARTICLES | 2023-02-08

Unconventional Gear Profiles in Planetary Gearboxes

Today, gearboxes are inevitable in numerous applications requiring high power density including wind turbines, electric vehicles, cranes, robotics, etc. A combination of high-ratio gearboxes with high-speed, low-torque motors is often used to achieve high power density. Planetary gear trains (PGTs) help achieve a high gear ratio in a compact arrangement. Several configurations of planetary gears are widely studied in this article where the gear profiles used in these studies are primarily involute.

TECHNICAL ARTICLES | 2022-12-02

Determination of the Longitudinal Load Distribution of Planetary Stages

The goal of increasing the power density of a gear unit demands that extraneous material reserves can be detected and reduced to the necessary level. In this context, it is important to know the influences acting on the gear unit and the resulting loads. FVA examines the precise knowledge of the longitudinal load distribution in the gear meshes during operation, and specification of suitable microgeometries for its optimization, play a decisive role.

PRODUCT NEWS | 2022-11-04

Bonfiglioli Presents Electric Drives for Construction Machinery

Bonfiglioli is convinced that around 50 percent of all new self-propelled construction machines will be either electrically or hybrid driven by 2030. So, it is high time for the globally active group based in Bologna, Italy, to take on the electric pioneering role in the machine groups that have previously been dominated by hydraulics. At Bauma 2022, the company presented the current options for electric drive technology for construction machinery.

TECHNICAL ARTICLES | 2022-09-30

Reliable, User-Friendly Planetary Gear Unit Design

Stöber Antriebstechnik GmbH + Co. KG rely on the FVA-Workbench for dimensioning and verification of their drives. The calculation and simulation software allows Stöber engineers to develop their innovative gear unit solutions more quickly and efficiently. The result: higher quality products.

PRODUCT NEWS | 2022-07-25

Neugart Offers Economical Right-Angle Gearbox

Axially space-saving, economical, IP65-compliant and designed for high radial and axial forces at the output: The Neugart WPLHE combines all the advantages of the successful PLHE, as a right-angle variant.

PRODUCT NEWS | 2022-05-24

Neugart Expands Drive Solutions

Neugart refines its range of coaxial planetary gearboxes: Effective immediately, the manufacturer also offers a gear ratio i=8 for its precision gearboxes with helical gearing. Thus, the gear ratio range now extends from i=3 to i=100.

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TECHNICAL ARTICLES | 2022-02-01

Improve Thermal Performance for Ironless Brush DC and Brushless DC Motors

Designers of motor-driven systems must account for thermal issues that can hinder a system's performance and efficiency.
REVOLUTIONS | 2021-09-27

The Packaging Perspective 2021

Pack Expo Las Vegas and Healthcare Packaging Expo offers more than 1,500 exhibitors to showcase the latest new materials, technologies and solution...
REVOLUTIONS | 2021-03-17

A Cut Above the Rest

Micro motors put the power in pruning

Pruning is one of the most demanding jobs in the viticulture and horticulture industries. When done...
TECHNICAL ARTICLES | 2021-03-01

Analysis of the Operational Behavior of a High-Speed Planetary Gear Stage for Electric Heavy-Duty Trucks in Multi-Body Simulation

The presented method offers a possibility or the quantitative evaluation of the operational behavior of integrated transmission systems.
PRODUCT NEWS | 2020-08-01

Product News

The latest product news from Miki Pulley, Voith, Firgelli Automations, Heidenhain, Zero-Max, Gates, KEB America, Siemens, H2W Technologies and Emerson Automation
TECHNICAL ARTICLES | 2020-08-01

Monitoring Concept Study for Aerospace Power Gearbox Drivetrain

Rolls-Royce is pioneering the UltraFan engine family architecture containing a planetary gearbox in a power range of 15 to 80 megawatts. To increase the efficiency of the UltraFan, a planetary gearbox is introduced between fan and intermediate pressure compressor. This enables running the turbine to rotate faster and allows a reduced fan speed.
| 2020-06-08

Shrink Your Start-to-Finish Time

Boosting Productivity in Gearbox Design with Siemens Digital

An increasing awareness of environmental concerns has given rise in the auto...
TECHNICAL ARTICLES | 2020-06-01

Dynamic Behavior of Planetary Gears

In planetary gear systems of high power density and high gear ratio, helical gears create undesirable tilting moments on the planet gears; therefore, spur gears are still preferred for planetary gears -- a special challenge with respect to noise. Specifically, the different behavior of planetary gears with sequential and symmetric gear mesh is explained in this paper.
| 2020-01-22

Romax Improves Reckon Drive Product Reliability with Software

The shift towards electric drivetrains has created unprecedented demand for new transmission architectures across numerous vehicle platforms at a t...
ASK THE EXPERT | 2019-10-01

Bearing Materials and Coating Trends

What trends do you see in bearing materials and coatings that will benefit the power transmission industry?
TECHNICAL ARTICLES | 2019-09-01

A Model for Predicting Churning Losses in Planetary Gears

In the general context of the reduction of energy consumption and polluting emissions, gearbox efficiency has become a major issue.
| 2019-03-26

Hannover Messe 2.0

(Main image courtesy of Deutsche Messe, 2018) Hannover Messe 2019 will focus on the integration, digitization and interconnection of industrial ...
| 2019-03-13

Faulhaber Assists with Deep-Sea Microbe Research

What influence does hell have on heaven? This is not an issue of theology: marine sc...
| 2019-02-04

Construction Time Again

Bauma 2019 Examines Sustainability, Digitization and Energy Efficiency

Bauma 2019 (April 8-14, Munich, Germany) is a complete overview of...
FEATURE ARTICLES | 2018-12-01

2018 PTE Buyers Guide

Our comprehensive annual directory of suppliers puts all the mechanical components you need right at your fingertips.
TECHNICAL ARTICLES | 2018-10-01

Smashing the Efficiency Barrier

A Practical Comparison of Planetary and Orbitless Gear-Heads.
FEATURE ARTICLES | 2018-09-01

Gearbox Innovation Evolves in Step with Expanding Servo Market

Approximately one quarter of all servo motors around the world require some type of gear reduction in their applications. From large satellite dishes to precision medical devices, gearboxes boost torque and reduce speed for servos in order for them to be sized more efficiently. While gearbox fundamentals haven't changed much over the past 20 years, their effectiveness has improved significantly, driven mostly by the need to accommodate advancements in servo technology.
TECHNICAL ARTICLES | 2018-06-01

Finite Element Method Based Analysis of Planetary Gear Systems Considering Backlash and Manufacturing Deviations

The load carrying capacity of gear transmissions depends strongly on design, material and operation conditions. Modern analysis methods, e.g. finite element analysis (FEA), consider the above parameters with more or less sufficient accuracy. Yet it remains an ongoing challenge to account for backlash and manufacturing errors, despite a definite need to do so.
| 2018-02-02

Framo Morat and Dunkermotoren Produce Drive Systems for AGVs

Driverless transport systems have proven to be extremel...
FEATURE ARTICLES | 2018-02-01

Efficiency of Design

Energy efficiency is for more than just motors. Here are some mechatronics companies making sure you get more bang for your buck when it comes to your power bill.
TECHNICAL ARTICLES | 2017-12-01

Baldor Motor Basics - Part 9

Amps, Watts, Power Factor and Efficiency; Approximate Load Data from Amperage Readings; Power Factor Correction on Single-Induction Motors.
FEATURE ARTICLES | 2017-10-01

Familiar Goals, New Solutions

Gearmotor manufacturers find new ways to push the envelope. (With Sidebar on new alternative to planetary gearboxes)
| 2017-09-05

Buying Gear Drives? Try Gear Expo

Gear Expo is right around the corner, and that means that pretty soon all things gearing will be squarely in the spotlight. Custom gear manufacturi...
| 2017-08-04

Engineering the New York Wheel

Dana Incorporated recently announced that it is providing driveshaft assemblies and gearboxes for the New York Wheel – which will be the world's ta...
TECHNICAL ARTICLES | 2017-06-01

Determination of Load Distributions on Double Helical-Geared Planetary Gearboxes

Standardized calculation methods such as ISO 6336 and DIN 3990 already exist to determine the load distributions on gears inside a planetary gearbox, but by their very universal nature, these methods offer varying results depending on the gearbox design. Double helical gears, in particular, can benefit from more specific, complex algorithms to reach a maximum level of efficiency. Double helical gears interact with the rest of the gearbox differently than helical or spur gears, and thus benefit from different analytical models outside the standardized methods. The present research project describes the algorithm to determine the load distribution of planetary gearboxes with double helical gears.
| 2017-05-09

Hannover Messe: A New Perspective in Manufacturing

The rumors are absolutely true. The factory floor is changing at an incredible pace and the digitalization of manufacturing systems (Big data, Indu...
TECHNICAL ARTICLES | 2017-02-01

Lightweight, Highly Efficient Drive System

This paper presents a joint project conducted by Ashwoods Electric Motors and Oerlikon Fairfield that uses planetary drives with an integrated electric motor. Current solutions used in production of off-highway vehicles rely upon large, heavy and inefficient brushed DC or induction motors, coupled to a planetary gearbox. This presents a number of challenges to the vehicle designers such as: limited vehicle range, limited space around the motor/drivetrain, and motor durability. The proposed integrated system utilizes an Oerlikon Fairfield Torque Hub, widely used in off-highway vehicles, and the Ashwoods first-to-market, interior permanent magnet motor. How these products are integrated, i.e. incorporating a brake solution, represents a market-changing product. Using interior permanent magnet (IPM) technology in the motor design means the motor can be up to 70% lighter, 70% smaller and 20% more efficient than traditional motors used in off-highway traction applications.
| 2017-01-30

Changing Technologies, Changing Perspectives

A Conversation with Jeff Hemphill, CTO at Schaeffler Group USA Inc. Matthew Jaster, Senior Editor

| 2016-07-11

Mind Sport

Stronghold Competition Puts the Fun in FIRST Robotics   Matthew Jaster, Senior Editor Here’s what we know about Tremont, Illinois: I...
TECHNICAL ARTICLES | 2015-12-01

Effect of Assembly Errors in Back-to-Back Gear Efficiency Testing

As gear efficiency is improved in small steps, it is important to be able to distinguish actual improvements from scatter that can occur while testing. An FZG back-to-back gear test rig was used to investigate how the assembly and re-assembly of the same test setup affects the measurements. A spread in torque loss between one assembly and another of the same test setup were observed. Rig conditions also affected the spread in input torque. With knowledge of how the spread in torque loss varies due to assembly, test results could be distinguished between changes due to assembly and actual differences between tests.
EVENTS | 2015-08-01

Calendar

Calendar of upcoming events
ASK THE EXPERT | 2014-09-01

TLC Still Needed for New Axles

A reader asks: I have heard that new axles no longer need a break-in period. True or false?
FEATURE ARTICLES | 2014-08-01

Industrial Automation North America and MDA NA at IMTS 2014

It's not a show title that rolls off the tongue, but the Industrial Automation North America and MDA NA @IMTS 2014 show nevertheless may well be one to remember.
TECHNICAL ARTICLES | 2013-02-01

Rolling Bearing Steels - A Technical and Historical Perspective - Part 1

This paper summarizes the chemical, metallurgical and physical aspects of bearing steels and their effect on rolling bearing life and reliability.
TECHNICAL ARTICLES | 2012-08-01

Bearing Protection Needed if Inverter-Duty Motors Are to Live up to their Name

All major manufacturers of 3-phase AC induction motors offer "inverter-duty" or "inverter-ready” models, but while these motors have inverter-rated insulation to protect the windings, the bearings--their most vulnerable parts--are too often ignored.
TECHNICAL ARTICLES | 2011-12-01

Often Overlooked, Lubricants Can Help Lower Energy Consumption

It is a simple fact: better lubrication can lead to dramatic energy savings and an improved bottom line. This ought to interest any plant manager who is looking for ways to reduce operating costs, and it is especially significant at a time when stricter government regulations are in direct contradiction to reducing costs. Lubrication reliability is the solution; this article will describe how manufacturing plants can use “lubrication reliability best-practices” to reduce their energy consumption, emissions and operating costs—all at the same time.
FEATURE ARTICLES | 2010-04-01

Linear Motion Q&A: Customized Machinery Built with Off-the-Shelf Components

This Q&A session with various experts at Thomson Linear Systems covers linear slides & stages, clutches & brakes, bearings and actuators.
TECHNICAL ARTICLES | 2009-02-01

Power With Precision

Can direct drive technology improve your bottom line? Manufacturers relying upon drive systems in their production process have long sought ways to improve gearbox efficiency. While a gearbox-driven system has been the mainstay for manufacturers, it has also been, among other things, the source of frequent breakdowns, expensive line stoppages and increasingly costly maintenance.
FEATURE ARTICLES | 2008-04-01

Rain or Shine

Brevini Power Transmission helps spectators enjoy stadium sights and sounds.
REVOLUTIONS | 1970-01-01

Industrial Gearbox Market Trends

Learn about the effect Covid-19 had on the industrial gearbox market and how the industry is predicted to recover.

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