planetary gearboxes

The ratio can be calculated using the shown formula... i = Z₂/Z₁ + 1

The heart of the planetary gearbox is the reduction group composed by the sun pinion (1) and three or more satellites (2) mounted on pins (4) which are supported by the satellite carrier (5). The sun pinion transmits it's motion to the satellites. The satellites then turn inside the ring gear (3) which is static. As consequence the satellite carrier rotates. The motion of the carrier can be transmitted to an output shaft or to another reduction group. The reduction obtained is determined by the relation between the number of teeth on the sun pinion (Z₁) and the number of teeth on the ring gear (Z₂).

Planetary reduction gears are designed to implement power transmission inside operator machines. They can be connected directly or indirectly to an electric or hydraulic motor. Planetary reduction gears are used for many different applications, both industrial and mobile, for example the mechanical industry, the sugar industry, the cement industry, the paper industry, the steel industry, the chemical & plastics industry, the food industry, building and construction, mining/extraction, agriculture & forestry, transport and hoisting, the naval sector and wind energy generators.

Above all, it is a highly rugged and reliable system as there are three gears instead of one to take the load. The gearboxes are available in foot mounted, shaft mounted, in line and right angle, depending upon the application of the buyer. For any given application, a Planetary gear box is much more compact and of considerable lesser weight compared to a conventional Warm or Helical gear.

Planetary configuration is the latest Gear Technology as they are highly reliable, rugged and efficient. The above gear boxes, working to high efficiency, are replacing warm and helical gearboxes which are otherwise conventionally used in India. These gear boxes are maintenance free because of the planetary configuration, which eliminates the thrust load experienced by Warm or Helical Gear boxes (i.e. only on one surface). Being maintenance free, the planetary gear boxes reduce the inventory cost of spares and subsequently the labour cost or machine's downtime associated with maintenance. One major benefit is that the power consumption is much lower than the conventional gear box and so saves a lot of money. In industrial applications, in certain cases, the power saving itself amortizes the cost of a gear box in a year or so if the machine run is continuous.

Introduction