How Zero Backlash Gearbox Delivers Accurate Performance

Gear backlash thwarts accurate performance in gearmotors.

How speed reduction occurs? Gears reduce speed and facilitate higher torque. However, these gears are responsible for different variables like noise levels, efficiency, accuracy, and service life. For accurate gearing, reducing backlash remains one of the pivotal tasks.

Pre-loading and design factors contribute towards the development of a zero backlash gearbox for high-performance and high-accuracy. But, not all automation applications have the same demand from motion control manufacturers. Especially when the applications are less demanding and require cost-effective units for greater life.

How to reduce backlash? This is a pertinent question concerning gearmotors. Backlash can be reduced with the help of precision gears engineered perfectly to have a tighter and more precise fit. More play in the gear teeth nudges performance. When specific applications demand higher accuracy, precision gears are the ultimate solutions to go for. Hence, manufacturers cater to the facilities for customised gearboxes.

Since different gear types have a diverse amount of backlash, one can check out the alternative available in the motion control marketplace. Some of the zero backlash gear types include harmonic drive, strain wave gears, etc.

Reliable engineering teams and manufacturers incorporate various suggestions to fulfill the requirements of a client. They correspond to the needs of speed, torque, service life, and design physical arrangement of the gears and type of gearbox accordingly. The preferred envelope size and housing and the rest of the components are designed to suit the desired functionality. Also, these manufacturers analyse all factors to provide gearboxes with authentic performance.

The Servo Drive Selection – 5 Crucial Things One Must Know

Apart from matching drive voltage and current output to the motor’s requirements, several other factors are to be accounted for selecting a servo drive. Some drives are manufactured with specialized functions for specific demands. This guide covers the selection based on some of the common factors for most applications.

1. Commonly Paired Motors with Servo Drives

Motors operating in a closed-loop system like stepper, induction, and asynchronous ones are paired with servo drives. In motion control applications, the AC synchronous motors are paired with servo drives. Another common type is the DC brushless motor.

2. Feedback

Feedback is a crucial part of servo systems for closed-loop operation, error detection and correction of motor’s actual position, torque, and velocity. The feedback is generally provided by encoders, resolvers, or hall sensors. Other than that, the servo drive must be compatible with the motor signal for processing and communicating.

3. Voltage and current

Any motor-drive relationship derives from the power, which means drive’s maximum voltage, peak, and continuous current should be sufficient enough to produce speed, torque, and position for the motor. Manufacturers facilitate torque-speed curves for performance reportage on motor-drive combinations.

4. Analog/Digital

New digital servo drive varieties enable analog/digital inputs for command execution while the software does the tuning. These are also capable of path generation, internal function monitoring, and fault diagnostics.

5. Integrated safety

Whether AC or DC servo drive, safety standards under regulations for all machines are mandatory. Therefore, manufacturers are responsible for establishing of highest standard manufacturing with integrated safety.