Gearheads allow servo drive to be turned 90deg

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Aug 29, 2000

ZF Industrial's new WT range of gearheads provides machine designers with the convenient option of turning servomotor drive systems through 90 degrees.

ZF Industrial's new WT range of gearheads provides machine designers with the convenient option of turning servomotor drive systems through 90 degrees.

This reduces the overall size envelope of a machine while providing increased torque and reliability to the motion system.

The WT series gearheads mount to any commercial servomotor and comprehensively cover the mechanical power and torque ranges required in most instrument and industrial motion control applications.

Offered with a choice of 8 integer ratios (in the range 3:1 to 15: 1), they are compact in design, maintenance free and, with efficiencies approaching 96%, energy saving in operation.

The compact design of the WT gearheads is due to novel hypoid teeth which permit high ratios in a bevel gear system.

Parameter optimised for greater strength, the Gleason hypoid gears keep inertia output torque to a minimum and ensure maximum torque transmission from the gearhead (up to 1,440Nm), together with minimal levels of backlash.

The latter can be as low as 4 arc-minutes on some larger standard units, and can be reduced even further, down to 2.0 arc-minutes, as an optional extra.

A major feature of the WT design is that torque transmission from the units is wear and clearance-free.

This is the result of the effectiveness of the force locking shaft/hub connection between the WT gearhead and its attached servomotor.

In addition, torsional rigidity is excellent as a result of transverse loads being handled effectively by the gearheads' high quality taper-roller bearings.

The precision in manufacture, component selection and assembly which ZF exercises in the production of the WT gearheads ensures a long nominal service life, typically >30,000 hours.

The provision of lifetime grease lubrication means that operation is essentially maintenance-free during this life span.

This is true even in adverse environments where an enclosed design, with IP64 ingress protection, guarantees reliable performance.

Maximum convenience and installation cost savings are provided to the machine builder by the ability of the WT gearheads to be integrated easily on any machine.

The flexible design gives the user the choice of a number of solid and hollow shaft output options.

The task of integration is also simplified by the gearheads ability to be mounted in any orientation, this the result of using grease lubrication rather than oil.

The many design and operational advantages provided by the WT series gearheads mean that they are ideally suited to precision motion tasks in packaging, materials handling, semiconductor manufacturing, food processing, paper and pulp manufacturing, metal forming, medical diagnostics, printing, textiles, robotics, optical positioning, and many more.

The WT gearheads are backed-up by the resources of one of the most respected manufacturers of driveline technology in the world.

ZF Industrial is part of the worldwide ZF Group of companies with production centres, partners and representatives on every continent.

In the industrial sector, ZF is at the forefront of developments, from individual units to complete systems solutions for all types of machinery and production units, including those used in robotic systems and the fast growing factory automation sector.