Choosing the Right Drive Technology

Coming up with the right drive technology for your application often depends on the options before you. Here are five of the most common drive configurations being used today, along with their benefits and drawbacks.

Although there are a number of variations of drive technologies for motion applications, there are a few that are used for the majority of systems being built today. These most common drives do take a bit of understanding before applying, though.

Common among manufacturers are the application of gears to create flexibility in drive capabilities and characteristics. Gears come in a lot of shapes and configurations, including bevel gears, helical gears, worm gears, and the most common, the spur gear. The spur gear is also one of the simplest in form and simplest to implement. You’ll find spur gears used in everything from turbine plants to grinding mills, and from the medical equipment to construction machinery. When compared with other gear types, the spur gear offers high precision at both high speeds and with high loads. They are some of the most efficient gears on the market.

Maximum efficiency of a spur gear is approximately 90 percent per stage, which applies for loads that are typically one-half the rated torque (continuous torque) and greater, where it is essentially independent of the load. For some highly specific applications additional concerns may include a maximum rated load, maximum rated speed of rotation, and possible backlash. Temperature range can be a concern because special lubrication may be needed.■