What Are the Key Approaches in Gearbox Selection?

Over the years, gears and gearboxes have been used for several industrial operations. They are not only an excellent tool to increase the operational output, but also transmit rotational force required for a device to move. Considering the increasing demands, most of businesses choose high-quality, branded gearboxes for consistent and smooth operations. Thus, selecting a gearbox is an important task. There are various types of gearboxes available in the market capable of fulfilling diverse requirements. To make the right choice, it is vital to be aware of your needs because, if you’re unsure of what you need, then you can’t pick the appropriate gearbox. Now, would you like to know how to choose a gearbox? This post highlights some important aspects of gearbox selection.

6 Important Considerations When Selecting a Gearbox

The following aspects will help you reduce doubts as much as possible during the gearbox selection process. So, let’s have a look at them.

• Service Factor: Sizing a gearbox for industrial use begins with deciding the appropriate service factor. Service factor can be defined as the ratio of the gearbox rated torque to the applications required torque. While service factor may vary with thousands of combinations of gearbox types and applications each is assigned its unique numeric value. For instance, a service factor of 1.0 signifies a unit has enough capacity to handle application. For most industrial applications, the 1.4 service factor is adequate. There is no additional tolerance for requirements, which may lead to a gearbox failure or overheating.
• Operating Temperature and Environment: It is important to consider if a gearbox will be suitable for the operating environment. Higher operating temperature may increase internal pressure, which will lead to the increased service factor used. Low or high temperature requires different lubrication thickness and seal materials. Aside from this, the harsh temperature may increase wear on the unit, which again demands special material to prevent corrosion or bacterial growth. Thus, the failure to account for these features may result in a gearbox that does not support the application as expected.
• Shock Loads: Shock loads are often called impact loads. As the name implies, these loads can cause increased wear on a gear unit, especially on its teeth and shaft bearings. If not accounted properly, then this wear can cause premature failure. These loads fall into two categories – uniform and non-uniform. Uniform loads remain stable, while non-uniform loads change during the application.
• Output Mechanism: Output style comprises sprockets and chains, pulleys, toothed pinion, and many more. Different output configurations including shaft-mounted bushing or double output shaft can decrease the extended load the unit is rated for. These output mechanisms require different bearings to account for the increased axial or radial load.           
• Output Shaft: The output shaft is a vital component of overall transmission that bears torsion and shear stress. When sizing an application, the bore size and output should be based on the customer’s need. This may include a stainless output on the unit, and whether it has a keyed or keyless hollow bore, a keyed or keyless shaft, or a flanged output combined with any of the mentioned. Getting an appropriate bore size on the unit allows the customer to buy a different gearbox to fit their current shaft. Even customers can modify their shaft to use a cost-effective unit while providing the best solution.
• Gear Placement: The housing style of gears in a gearbox determines its efficiency and produced heat. The rule to opt for a gearbox is that it should produce more torque in exchange for less amount of heat. Apart from producing less heat, and being efficient, there is another factor to consider which is weight load distribution.

Keep the above-mentioned factors in mind when choosing a gearbox for your application. If you are looking for a gearbox solution, it is important to employ a reliable and trustworthy supplier like Motor & Gear Engineering. The company specializes in offering industrial gearbox repair and rebuild services at the fastest turnaround times. Their experts enthusiastically help clients maximize the value of their gearboxes for years. The company is known for offering repair and maintenance of gear systems from industry brands such as Falk, Eisenbeiss, Sumitomo, Flender, Gearbox, and so on.