Milling, drilling and more: Powerful gears for metalworking

Milling, drilling and cutting using cycloidal gears? This is an excellent idea. Due to their high precision and rigidity, high-performance gears guarantee precise movements and positioning, taking metalworking to a higher level of efficiency! This, in turn, saves money and improves product quality.

Metalworking machines are usually equipped with direct drives or low-backlash planetary gears. Cycloidal gear technology is much less widespread. Yet these innovative gears outperform conventional technologies in some applications. Especially the processing of light metals, such as aluminum, benefits from the specific properties of precision cycloidal gears< /strong> - both in milling, drilling and cutting processes. Cycloidal gears are also an ideal choice for workpiece handling systems.

Precision gears for metalworking

Cycloidal gears are characterized by minimal backlash throughout the entire period of operation (hysteresis loss from 0.5 to max. 1 arcmin), excellent dynamics and smooth operation, as well as high stiffness and machining accuracy. Their special design makes them very stiff and durable, they also achieve high gear ratios with a compact design.

Cycloidal gears enable fast and precise positioning movements without backlash, ensuring precise placement and positioning of workpieces and tools. This reduces auxiliary times and increases the efficiency of metalworking processes.

Advantages of using cycloidal gears in metalworking processes:

• Higher productivity thanks to increased efficiency and stability of processes, as well as cycles with increased dynamics
• Higher product quality thanks to precise movements and accurate positioning, fewer reworks required
• Higher efficiency thanks to concurrent processes during the cycle
• Reliable systems thanks to excellent resistance to shock loads (up to 500% of rated torque)
• Flexible production and lower costs

Milling, drilling and cutting with cycloidal gears

Whether for machine tool equipment, workpiece positioning, tool alignment and positioning, or transfer of workpieces between connected machine tools: using cycloidal gears can significantly increase the efficiency of metalworking processes.

Applications of cycloidal gears in metalworking:

• Milling heads
• Drilling heads
• Cutting heads
• B and C axes
• Tool magazines
• Pallet feeders
• 4-axis machining centers
• 5-axis machining centers
• Handling systems

Advantages over direct drives and low backlash planetary gears

Unlike direct drives, cycloidal gears do not require water cooling or an expensive power controller. They also take up less space, cost less and are designed for simplified integration into a machine or system. A very low gear error coefficient ensures a constant output speed, which translates into very high machining accuracy - ideal for milling operations.

High demands on positioning accuracy in drilling and cutting operations are also no problem for cycloidal gears. Even after long-term use, the increase in backlash is minimal - a significant advantage over low-backlash planetary gears, which often have increased backlash over their service life. The design of cycloidal gears makes them inherently more compact (approximately 40% shorter).

Cycloidal gears make the difference:

• Extreme precision (hysteresis loss = 0.5 to max. 1 arcmin)
• High stiffness
• High dynamics
• Compact design
• High reduction rates
• Simple integration
• Long service life

Transfer systems for connecting machine tools

In metal processing, cycloidal gears are also increasingly used in transfer systems for connecting machine tools. In addition to precision, workpiece handling systems must also be highly dynamic, as faster movement and positioning of workpieces between machining steps increases machine tool productivity.

High stiffness skrętna przekładni cykloidalnych umożliwia szybkie przyspieszanie i hamowanie bez utraty precyzji, co gwarantuje bardzo dynamiczne i precyzyjne pozycjonowanie - czy to za pomocą robotów Scara, jednostek bramowych czy zintegrowanych zmieniaczy palet. Możliwy jest transfer do stacji procesowych w zakresie sekund łuku. Skraca to czas procesu i zmniejsza współczynnik błędów.

Plug-and-play gearboxes for metalworking

In metalworking processes, RD-C series gears and Neco have stood the test of time. Neco series includes ready-to-use assembly of precise gearboxes with solid shafts of a modern, compact design with a high level of modularity and maximum flexibility in connecting motors.

Compact servo gearboxes are suitable for metalworking processes such as milling, drilling and cutting, as well as for moving workpieces. If you need a hollow shaft to route cables and hoses - such as data and power cables or drive shafts - RD-C gearboxes are the ideal solution. They feature a large hollow shaft and are available in three mounting options (direct drive, angle drive and belt drive), ensuring quick and cost-effective installation in a variety of applications.

Want to increase the efficiency of your metalworking processes and learn more about automation with cycloidal gears? Click here for more information.

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