A Guide to Selection of Gear Motors

There are several types of gear motors available, making it extremely difficult to select the right one. They are available in a wide range of specifications for varied applications across multifarious industrial sectors. To make an informed selection, it is necessary that you have a clear understanding of your application requirements. If you are confident in your requirements, the rest of the selection process will be easy and smooth.

Know your Requirements!

As mentioned earlier in this post, you must have a comprehensive understanding of your requirements. Be sure about the specifications and features that you need to incorporate in the gearmotor.

Decide on the following before approaching a manufacturer.

• Input Power Sources – Decide on the required voltage rating, frequency, and maximum current, beforehand.
• Environment – Analyze the conditions of the application areas. For example, ambient temperature, application temperature, and Ingress Protection (IP) Rating
• Specifications – You must provide exact specifications to the manufacturer. If anything goes wrong in stipulating required specifications, it will affect the quality and performance of the final assembly. Decide on the size, weight, life expectancy, maintenance, speed, torque rating, starting/stall torque, and duty cycle (on and off time) when formulating an initial design.
• Miscellaneous –You must be clear about the mounting orientation and type, overhung and side loads, envelop size, and lubrication type (low-temperature grease or food grade grease) before approaching a manufacturer.

After finalizing the requirements, communicate the same to the manufacturer. Having a clear understanding of the customers’ requirements helps manufacturers fabricate the item successfully.

Two Methods of Selection

Once you are clear about your requirements, you can obtain the item in the following ways.

1. Method 1 – Select a Motor and Gearbox Separately and Assemble them Together

Below listed are the steps involved in this method.

1.  Determine your application requirements.
2. Select a gearbox and calculate its torque and speed.
3.  Choose a motor and calculate its torque, speed, and efficiency.
4. Compare maximum torque of the motor with yield strength of the gearbox. Also, compare the thermal dissipation of the motor to the thermal rating of the gearbox. It is important to select a gearbox and motor with similar specifications.

Once the motor and gearbox units have been selected, couple them together to obtain a well matched gear-motor to suit your applications.

2. Select a Pre-engineered Gearmotor

Selecting a pre-engineered gearmotor calls for some guess work. Be sure about your requirements and select the one that best matches your application requirements. When selecting a standard gearmotor unit, look into the following aspects:

• Thermal characteristics
• Full-load gearbox torque
• Gearbox input speed
• Gearbox yield strength
• Breakdown torque
• Pull-up torque
• Intermittent duty considerations

A clear understanding of your requirements is of paramount importance when procuring gearmotor units. If you are indubitable in this, the manufacturer will take care of the rest!