Different Types of Speed Reducers
Sometimes food and bottling processors need for their conveyor systems to maintain different speeds throughout the day. One set of processes may require a different horsepower output than others, and that’s where an effective speed reducer comes into play. If your conveyor system’s speed reducer lacks the ability to smoothly adjust output torque, you’ll be confined in your ability to meet your operation goals.
Conveyor systems are propelled by the use of gearboxes, which also serve as speed reducers when needed. There are many types of speed reducers on the market that vary in size and functionality. The major types of speed reducers are: Worm Gear Speed Reducers, Parallel Shaft Speed Reducers, Right-Angle Bevel Gear Speed Reducers, Helical Shaft Mount Speed Reducers, and Helical Offset Shaft Speed Reducers.
Worm Gear Speed Reducers
Worm gear speed reducers are the most popular speed reducers on the market. Their compact size and extreme levels of efficiency make them a most-loved product in a wide array of industries. Its design is simple and “screw like” – featuring an input shaft with a worm gear cut into the body. Word gears are usually made of steel and can be either finely cut or course in texture.
Parallel Shaft Speed Reducers
When you’re looking for power, more power than would be needed in most food and bottling processing facilitates, this is the speed reducer that can generate hundreds if not thousands of units of horsepower. Sometimes used to run mills in their entirety, these speed reducers have a special design. They run into problems however when they reach thermal maximums and fail. Precautions must be taken to protect these gears from the amount of heat they generate due to the nature of the power they are transferring.
Right-Angle Bevel Gear Speed Reducers
When your conveyor needs to maintain operational speeds but around tight corners and 90-degree angles, this special application speed reducer will do the trick. Due to the directional considerations though, a maximum of 10 horsepower is all you can expect to get out of one of these gears.
Helical Shaft Mount Speed Reducers
Helical Shaft Mount Speed Reducers are built for the specific purpose of driving conveyors. Even though most reducers output a tapered bore, these speed reducers – because they are only available as single reduction units that are very thin pieces of equipment – output a hollow bore in the gear set. These gear reducers can be count on to provide 200HP in almost every setting; however the gear’s actual ratio and size will have more determination on the maximum horsepower this device can provide.
Helical Offset Shaft Speed Reducers
Helical Offset Speed Reducers are very efficient reducers, and they typically lose only 3% or less of their power through each set of gears. Their shape is helical, but this gear’s input and output shafts are not in line with one another, hence the term “helical offset.” Thanks to this gear’s compact and efficient design, it is one of the less noisy speed reducers on the market.
