You know accurate positioning in your factory equipment is a must for ideal performance. If your shaft positioning has ever lost motion due to gear backlash, there are a few approaches that can help manage or prevent this condition. Before we address finding the perfect balance in your Falk gear reducer, it’s important to more thoroughly understand what backlash involves.
Backlash is the space between the mating gear teeth within your Falk gearbox. This built-in clearance allows room for lubrication and to let the gears interact without binding. Without this clearance, the teeth may be damaged or the equipment may overheat, requiring costly gearbox repairs or renewal. But too much clearance can lead to lost motion and inaccurate positioning.
The clearance obviously serves an important role, but how do you manage it properly for reduced backlash and maximum speed efficiency? These three main approaches will help you manage backlash:
1. Precision gears. These gears are manufactured in small quantities and incorporate close-tolerance parts. They are also handled and packaged carefully to prevent imperfections and keep the dimensions accurate. Backlash is limited or practically eliminated due to this precise design, necessary in industries such as robotics. Precision gears within your Falk gear reducers typically use special machining techniques.
2. Modified designs. Gears in a Falk gearbox can be modified to minimize backlash. A set tooth clearance can be adjusted when the gears are first assembled, or springs can create a constant backlash level that is maintained during the unit’s life span. Shortening the distance between the centers of a pair of gears in your Falk gearbox is the simplest way to achieve low or even zero clearance. These are called fixed assemblies and might still need to be adjusted during operation as the teeth wear down.
3. Special designs. If your operation requires very low or zero backlash, you may consider a Falk gear reducer that uses a nontraditional gear. Special designs usually cost more but provide low noise, offer high stiffness and can withstand high shocks loads. Some examples of specially designed gearboxes include epicyclic, traction, cyloidal and harmonic.
While backlash can have a negative connotation, it does serve a purpose in protecting your equipment. If you need to operate with more precision, explore the options available to reduce backlash in your Falk gearbox. Understanding and managing backlash will help your positioners hit their marks.
[Photo by: Zoetnet on Flickr via CC License]
Posted under Machinery Maintenance on Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011