The urgency of climate change is compelling businesses to look for better ways to lower their carbon footprint, increase the efficiency of their systems, and find more sustainable ways to conduct business. Since the actual efficiency of any drive train can be no higher than its least energy-efficient part, choosing the right gear system for the task is an important choice to consider.
Historically, worm gearboxes have been installed in many different types of industry applications because of their compact design and low purchase cost. Despite these initial advantages, this product has a major disadvantage demonstrated in their low efficiency and durability. High friction and an increasing ratio between the worm and worm gear increase energy losses and decrease efficiency compared to other designs. At high ratios, when efficiency is at its lowest, half of the motor power can be lost. When looking at the overall running cost of the machine’s life, the cost of this loss can be very high indeed.
Read the full article in the June issue of DPA