The flexibility of the geared motor means it can be used in a wide range of applications in all aspects of daily life. Sometimes, it can even be used where you wouldn’t imagine a geared motor would be responsible for the movement of a machine. The following examples indicate a few applications that exploit the most important properties of the geared motor:
- Robust, compact structure
- Reliability
- Reasonable price
- Directional Antenna Driv
The requirements: A directional antenna drive has to satisfy very demanding requirements. The operator wants absolutely reliable operation and permanent serviceability no matter what the weather conditions,e.g. heat, rain, frost – even after months of standing unused. It must be possible to position the directional antenna precisely and such that it does not move out of position. In addition, the mass of the antenna may double due to icing. On top of all this, wind acting on the antenna can exert very high transverse forces.
The solution: The multi-stage helical geared motor with a pole-changing AC asynchronous motor, mechanical brake and flywheel fan as additional flywheel mass.
Drives in the Beverage Industry
The requirements: It takes a lot of individual processing steps before a new crate of drinks arrives in the shop. In the bottling company, the used bottles have to be taken out of their crates, cleaned and refilled. Once the stoppers have been fitted, the bottles are given new labels, packed into crates and stacked on pallets for dispatch. There are long transport distances to be overcome between the starting and finishing points in the production sequence. Bottles are singled out and put into packs as required. Manual handling would be unable to cope with the high volume output and precision processing demanded nowadays.
The solution: A large number of geared motors are used for movement, whether in the individual processing machines or for transport from one to the next. More than 100 helical-worm, helical-bevel and helical geared motors ensure that production runs smoothly. AC geared motors with variable drive speeds are used alongside constant-speed drives with a specified fixed transport speed. Frequency inverters make it possible to adapt the working procedures as required when there is a change of product. Dynamically switched geared motors are operated using field-oriented control loops – they position the labels at exactly the right place on the bottles.
In some cases, the drives are exposed to extreme ambient conditions. They have to function whether in the wet or dry area. Also, the use of cleaning agents must not damage the geared motor. Special anti-corrosive paint offers protection against an aggressive environment. Temperature sensors installed in the electric motor protect the drive against thermal load. Drive units for vertical motion are equipped with a mechanical brake to provide the degree of safety required for stacking pallets.
The long-term performance and long service life offered by geared motors are prerequisites for the reliable, productive operation of the system.
Drives in the Automotive Industry
The requirements: The work areas in an automotive plant are rigidly structured. The “body shop” is where the body is built, while the body-in-white is painted with environmentally friendly, water-soluble paint in the“paint-shop”. It is a special moment when body and engine are brought together on the assembly line. Vehicles are manufactured according to individual customer requirements throughout the entire production process. The level of automation achieved in a modern production facility enables 80ovehicles to be manufactured every day. Conveyor systems of various kinds – roller tracks, overhead trolley systems, floor conveyors and lifts – transport the units through the various processing zones. Subassemblies and individual parts are brought to the assembly line just in time. Welding, painting and the installation of seats, windows and doors take place largely automatically.
The solution: More than 2500 geared motors of various types ensure movements take place at just the right time in all areas of the plant. The majority of drives, in the power range between 0.25 and 11KW, are equipped with 4-pole AC geared motors powered directly from the power supply system. More than 300 frequency inverters are used in applications with variable speeds. However，pole-changing geared motors are used as well. These drives permit fast and slow movement with direct power supply operation. Fast movement is achieved with a low pole count while slow-motion involves switching in the winding with a high number of poles. This operating mode is used for simple positioning with proximity switches.