Why are helical gear reducer motors widely used in the industrial field? What are their materials, processes, advantages and uses?

The secret of the material of helical gear reducer motors

Careful selection of gear materials

As the core transmission components, the gears of helical gear reducer motors have extremely strict requirements on materials. High-quality forged steel is a common choice, such as medium carbon steel and alloy structural steel. Medium carbon steel has certain strength and toughness. After proper heat treatment, it can meet the use requirements of helical gears under most conventional working conditions. The cost is relatively reasonable and the cost performance is outstanding. Alloy structural steel is very useful when it needs to withstand harsh conditions such as heavy loads and impact loads. Steels containing alloy elements such as chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), and molybdenum (Mo) can significantly improve the comprehensive performance of gears. Chromium can enhance the hardenability and wear resistance of steel, nickel can improve the toughness and strength of steel, and molybdenum can help improve the thermal strength and tempering resistance of steel. Through the synergistic effect of alloy elements, helical gears made of alloy structural steel are not prone to deformation, wear and fatigue fracture under heavy loads, greatly extending their service life.

In addition to forged steel, powder metallurgy materials are also used to make gears under special working conditions. The powder metallurgy process can accurately control the material composition and density, produce complex-shaped gears, and has high material utilization and low production costs. The gears made by it have self-lubricating properties, which are obviously advantageous in some occasions where lubrication conditions are high or effective lubrication is difficult to achieve, such as food packaging machinery, medical equipment and other fields. It can avoid the risk of lubricating oil contaminating products and ensure the hygiene and safety of equipment.

The key role of the housing material

As the "housing" of the helical gear reduction motor, the housing not only provides support and protection for the internal components, but also affects the overall performance of the motor. Rigid cast iron is a commonly used housing material. It is based on gray cast iron and is made by adding alloy elements and optimizing the casting process. Gray cast iron itself has good casting performance, shock absorption and cutting processability, which can make the housing cast into various complex shapes and effectively absorb the vibration and noise generated when the motor is running. After adding alloy elements, the strength and hardness of rigid cast iron are greatly improved, which enhances the stability of the box structure and ensures that it is not easy to deform when subjected to large external forces and internal gear transmission loads, providing solid protection for the stable operation of gears and other parts.

In occasions with special requirements for weight and heat dissipation, aluminum alloy boxes have emerged. Aluminum alloy has a low density, only about one-third of steel, which can greatly reduce the overall weight of the motor, facilitate installation and transportation, and is particularly suitable for weight-sensitive fields such as aerospace and mobile mechanical equipment. Aluminum alloy has excellent thermal conductivity, which is several times that of cast iron. It can quickly dissipate the heat generated by the operation of the motor, reduce the internal temperature of the motor, prevent the performance of components from deteriorating due to overheating, improve the reliability and efficiency of the motor, and extend the service life.

Performance requirements for shaft materials

The shaft bears the heavy responsibility of transmitting torque in the helical gear reduction motor, and its material must have high strength, good toughness and wear resistance. Commonly used shaft materials are high-quality carbon structural steel (such as 45 steel) and alloy structural steel (such as 40Cr). 45 steel has good comprehensive mechanical properties. After quenching and tempering, it can obtain high strength and toughness, which can meet the working requirements of general helical gear motor shafts and is widely used in many medium and small helical gear motors. 40Cr steel contains chromium elements, and its hardenability is better than 45 steel. After quenching and tempering, it can obtain higher strength, hardness and wear resistance. It is suitable for shafts that transmit large torque, high speed or harsh working conditions. For example, the helical gear motor shafts supporting large industrial equipment are often made of 40Cr steel.

For some helical gear motors working in special environments, such as running in corrosive environments, the shaft material must also have corrosion resistance. At this time, stainless steel (such as 304, 316, etc.) becomes an ideal choice. 304 stainless steel has good corrosion resistance and heat resistance, and can work stably for a long time in ordinary corrosive media; 316 stainless steel has better performance in pitting, crevice corrosion and chloride corrosion resistance due to the addition of molybdenum, and can be used to cope with more severe corrosive environments, ensuring that the shaft can operate normally under harsh conditions without being damaged by corrosion, and maintaining stable operation of the motor.

The essence of the manufacturing process of helical gear reduction motors

Forging technology lays a solid foundation

Forging is an important process for blank forming of key components (such as gears, shafts, etc.) of helical gear reduction motors. Taking gear forging as an example, the heated metal blank is plastically deformed under the pressure or impact force applied by the forging equipment to obtain a gear blank with a certain shape, size and internal structure. During the forging process, the grains inside the metal are refined, the structure is denser, and the material strength and toughness can be significantly improved. Compared with cast blanks, forged gear blanks have more reasonable streamline distribution. The metal streamlines distributed along the tooth profile can make the internal stress distribution of the gear more uniform when it is under load, effectively improve the gear's fatigue resistance, reduce the risk of fracture during operation, and lay a solid foundation for subsequent processing and long-term stable operation.

When forging shaft parts, the internal structure of the metal can be further optimized by controlling the forging ratio (the ratio of the cross-sectional area before and after the blank is deformed). The appropriate forging ratio can make the metal fiber distributed along the axial direction of the shaft, so that when the shaft is subjected to torque, the mechanical properties of each part are more in line with the working requirements, and the bearing capacity and reliability of the shaft are improved. The forging process can also eliminate the defects such as looseness and pores inside the metal material, improve the material quality, ensure the stable operation of the parts under complex working conditions, and provide a strong guarantee for the efficient operation of the helical gear reduction motor.

Heat treatment process improves performance quality

The heat treatment process plays a key role in improving the performance and quality of parts in the manufacture of helical gear reduction motors. For gears, common heat treatment processes include carburizing and quenching, high-frequency induction heating and quenching, etc. Carburizing and quenching are mainly used for gears made of low-carbon alloy steel. First, the gear is placed in a carbon-rich medium and heated to allow carbon atoms to penetrate into the gear surface to form a carburized layer of a certain depth, followed by quenching and tempering. After this process, the gear surface obtains high hardness, high wear resistance and good fatigue resistance, while the core still maintains sufficient toughness, can effectively withstand impact loads, and meet the working requirements of gears under harsh working conditions such as heavy loads and high speeds.

High-frequency induction heating quenching is mostly used for gears made of medium-carbon steel or medium-carbon alloy steel. The skin effect generated by high-frequency current is used to quickly heat the gear surface to the quenching temperature, and then quickly cool and quench. This process can form a hard and wear-resistant quenching layer on the gear surface, and the core maintains the original toughness. It has a fast heating speed, high production efficiency, and small deformation. It can accurately control the depth and hardness distribution of the quenching layer. It is suitable for mass-produced medium and small helical gear reduction motor gears, improves the wear resistance and fatigue resistance of the gear surface, and extends the service life. The heat treatment of shaft parts often adopts quenching and tempering treatment (quenching plus high-temperature tempering). By adjusting the tempering temperature, good comprehensive mechanical properties can be obtained to meet the strength and toughness requirements of the shaft when transmitting torque.

Precision machining technology ensures precise operation

Precision machining technology is the core link to ensure the accuracy of each component of the helical gear reducer motor and achieve precise operation. Gear machining technology includes multiple processes such as milling, hobbing, shaping, shaving, and grinding. Milling is to use a forming milling cutter to process the gear tooth shape on a milling machine. It is suitable for single-piece small-batch production or gear machining with low precision requirements; hobbing uses the development movement between the hob and the gear blank to continuously cut the gear tooth shape on the hobbing machine. It has high production efficiency and can reach 7-8 levels of accuracy. It is widely used in medium and large-scale gear machining; shaping is to process the tooth shape through the relative movement of the shaping cutter and the gear blank. It is suitable for machining special structure gears such as internal gears and multi-link gears. Gear shaving is used to finish the gears after hobbing or shaping. It can correct the tooth shape error, improve the tooth surface finish, and make the gear accuracy reach 6-7 levels. Gear grinding is the process with the highest gear processing accuracy. It can grind the gears after quenching to eliminate heat treatment deformation and make the gear accuracy reach level 5 or above. It can effectively reduce gear transmission noise, improve transmission stability and load-bearing capacity, and is mostly used in the manufacture of helical gear reduction motor gears with extremely high precision requirements.

The processing of shaft parts must ensure the accuracy of the journal size, cylindricity, coaxiality, keyway size accuracy and position accuracy. Through precision processing processes such as turning and grinding, with the cooperation of high-precision machine tools and advanced tools, the various accuracies of the shaft can meet the design requirements, ensuring that the shaft can accurately transmit torque after assembly with gears, bearings and other parts, avoiding vibration, increased noise and even damage to parts during motor operation due to shaft processing errors, and ensuring the stable and efficient operation of the helical gear reduction motor.

Assembly and testing processes guarantee overall performance

Assembly is the process of assembling parts manufactured through multiple processes such as forging, heat treatment, and precision machining according to design requirements to form a complete helical gear reduction motor. The assembly process requires strict control of the assembly position, clearance and matching accuracy of each component. For example, when assembling gears and shafts, it is necessary to ensure that the axial and radial positioning of the gears on the shafts is accurate, and the key connection is tight and reliable to prevent the gears from axial movement or radial runout during operation; when assembling bearings, it is necessary to control the bearing clearance to ensure that the bearings can rotate flexibly and bear appropriate loads, so as to avoid affecting the running accuracy and life of the motor due to excessive or too small clearance. After the assembly of each component is completed, a comprehensive test is required. The no-load test is used to check whether the motor runs smoothly without load, whether there is abnormal noise or vibration, and whether the operation of each component is smooth; the load test simulates the actual working state of the motor. Under different load conditions, the motor output torque, speed, efficiency and other performance parameters are detected to meet the design requirements. At the same time, the motor temperature rise, vibration, noise and other indicators are monitored to evaluate the reliability and stability of the motor under actual working conditions. Through strict assembly and comprehensive testing processes, problems can be discovered and solved in a timely manner, the overall performance and quality of the helical gear reduction motor can be guaranteed, and its reliable application in various fields can be guaranteed.

The use of helical gear reduction motors

Wide application in industrial production

In the field of industrial production, helical gear reduction motors are ubiquitous and play a vital role. In manufacturing assembly lines, such as automobile manufacturing and electronic product manufacturing, helical gear motors are used to drive conveyor belts. Its stable speed and large torque output can ensure smooth and efficient transmission of products on the assembly line, smooth connection between different processes, and greatly improve production efficiency. In machine tool equipment, helical gear motors are key components of the feed system and spindle drive device, providing the required power for tool cutting and workpiece processing. With high-precision transmission characteristics, the moving speed and position of the machine tool worktable can be accurately controlled to achieve precision parts processing, ensure product dimensional accuracy and surface quality, and meet the manufacturing industry's demand for high-precision parts processing.

In the metallurgical industry, helical gear motors are used in various large-scale mechanical equipment, such as blast furnace winches, rolling mills, etc. The blast furnace winch needs to lift a large amount of materials vertically to the top of the blast furnace. The helical gear motor relies on powerful torque output to overcome the material gravity and lifting process resistance to achieve stable and efficient material transportation. When rolling steel, the rolling mill needs to accurately control the speed and torque of the rollers. The helical gear motor can flexibly adjust the output parameters according to the requirements of different steel rolling processes to ensure the quality and production efficiency of steel rolling, and help the metallurgical industry to smoothly produce various high-quality steel products.

An important role in the field of transportation

In the field of transportation, helical gear motors also play an indispensable role. In material handling equipment such as electric forklifts, helical gear motors are used to drive vehicle travel and fork lifting systems. Its large torque output characteristics enable forklifts to easily carry heavy goods and operate flexibly in warehouses, logistics centers and other places. In the travel system, the helical gear motor can provide appropriate torque and speed according to different driving conditions, such as starting, accelerating, climbing, etc., to ensure that the forklift travels smoothly and operates flexibly. With the precise control of the helical gear motor, the fork lifting system can achieve fast and accurate lifting of goods, improving the efficiency and safety of material handling.

In urban rail transit, the operation of escalators and elevators is inseparable from the helical gear motor. Escalators need to run continuously and smoothly to provide convenient vertical transportation services for a large number of passengers. The high reliability and stability of the helical gear motor ensure that the escalator has a constant speed and runs smoothly during long-term continuous operation, reducing the escalator shutdown caused by motor failure, and ensuring smooth and safe travel for passengers. As an important tool for vertical transportation in high-rise buildings, elevators have extremely high requirements for running stability and safety. The helical gear motor can accurately control the lifting speed and position of the elevator car to achieve fast and smooth start and stop of the elevator, provide passengers with a comfortable elevator experience, and ensure the safe and reliable operation of the elevator, playing an important role in urban modernization.

Application in smart home and office equipment

In the field of smart home and office equipment, the helical gear motor also plays a role quietly, bringing convenience to people's life and work. In the smart home system, the electric curtain motor often adopts a helical gear reduction structure. Through the helical gear motor, the high-speed rotation of the motor can be converted into a slow and smooth opening and closing action of the curtain to realize the automatic control of the curtain. Users can remotely operate through mobile phone APP, remote control and other devices to easily control the opening and closing time and degree of the curtain, and improve the intelligence and convenience of home life. In the smart sweeping robot, the helical gear motor is used to drive the robot to walk and the cleaning parts to operate. The helical gear reduction motor in the walking system can adjust the robot's walking speed and torque according to different floor materials and cleaning requirements, ensuring that the robot can move flexibly and clean efficiently in various home environments. The helical gear reduction motor of the cleaning component provides suitable speed and torque for the roller brush, side brush, etc., to achieve strong cleaning, effectively improving the cleaning effect and user experience of the sweeping robot.

In terms of office equipment, helical gear reduction motors are used in the paper conveying systems of printers, copiers and other equipment. These devices need to accurately control the paper conveying speed and position to ensure that the paper enters the printing area smoothly and accurately during printing or copying to avoid paper jams and other faults. With its high-precision transmission characteristics, the helical gear reduction motor can achieve accurate paper delivery, ensure efficient and stable operation of office equipment, meet the high-speed and high-quality requirements of modern office environments for document processing equipment, and improve office efficiency.

Special applications in medical and fitness equipment

In the field of medical equipment, the application of helical gear reduction motors is of special significance, which is related to the life and health of patients and the quality of medical services. In surgical instruments, such as electric bone drills and electric saws, helical gear reduction motors provide them with stable and precise power output. Take electric bone drills as an example. In orthopedic surgery, the drill speed and torque need to be precisely controlled to avoid excessive damage to bone tissue. Through precise transmission, the helical gear reduction motor can adjust the drill speed and torque required at different stages of the operation, ensuring accurate and safe surgical operations, improving the success rate of the operation, and providing strong guarantees for patient recovery. In medical imaging equipment, such as CT scanners and magnetic resonance imaging devices (MRI), helical gear reduction motors are used to drive the internal scanning components of the equipment to rotate and move. These devices have extremely high requirements for scanning accuracy and stability. Helical gear reduction motors rely on high-precision transmission and low vibration characteristics to ensure precise movement of scanning components, obtain clear and accurate medical images, help doctors accurately diagnose the disease, and provide important basis for medical diagnosis.

In the field of fitness equipment, helical gear reduction motors also play an important role. In aerobic fitness equipment such as treadmills and spinning bikes, helical gear reduction motors are used to control the movement speed and resistance adjustment of the equipment. Treadmills pass The helical gear reduction motor accurately controls the belt running speed to meet the exercise intensity requirements of different users, and can achieve smooth speed changes from jogging, brisk walking to sprinting. The spinning bike uses the helical gear reduction motor to adjust the riding resistance and simulate the riding experience of different road conditions, so that users can enjoy diversified and personalized fitness training at home or in the gym, improve the fitness effect and user fitness fun, and help people maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Analysis of the advantages of helical gear reduction motors

Efficient transmission improves work efficiency

Helical gear reduction motors perform well in transmission efficiency, which is mainly due to the unique meshing method of helical gears. When the helical gears are meshed, the tooth surface contact line is inclined, and during the meshing process, the contact line changes from short to long and then from long to short. Compared with the instantaneous entry and exit of the spur gear, the meshing process of the helical gear is smoother and more continuous. This smooth meshing characteristic effectively reduces the impact and vibration during the gear transmission process, reduces energy loss, and thus significantly improves the transmission efficiency. In multi-stage helical gear reduction motors, the transmission efficiency of each gear is maintained at a high level. After multi-stage reduction, the overall transmission efficiency can still be maintained at a considerable level, generally reaching more than 90%. The transmission efficiency of some advanced helical gear reduction motors is even higher. Efficient transmission means that when transmitting the same power, the helical gear reduction motor consumes less electricity, which can save a lot of energy costs for equipment operation, while reducing energy waste, which is in line with the development trend of modern industrial energy conservation and emission reduction. In industrial production, many large equipment such as large fans and water pumps are driven by helical gear reduction motors. After long-term operation, the energy-saving benefits brought by efficient transmission are very significant, which plays an important role in reducing production costs and improving economic benefits for enterprises.

Low noise and low vibration guarantee the operating environment

The helical gear reduction motor has low noise and low vibration during operation, which creates a good operating environment for its application, especially in occasions with strict requirements on noise and vibration. As mentioned above, the meshing process of the helical gear is smooth and continuous, which reduces the noise and vibration caused by impact. At the same time, the overlap of helical gears is large, that is, the number of gear pairs participating in meshing is large, which makes the load on each pair of gear teeth relatively reduced, further reducing the noise and vibration level during gear transmission. In addition, during the design and manufacturing process, the helical gear reducer motor further suppresses the noise and vibration during operation by optimizing gear parameters, improving processing accuracy, and adopting reasonable structural design, such as increasing the rigidity of the box, selecting suitable bearings and shock absorbers, etc. In noise-sensitive places such as hospitals, schools, and office buildings, as well as precision instruments and equipment with high requirements for equipment operation stability, the low noise and low vibration characteristics of the helical gear reducer motor make it an ideal drive choice. For example, in medical equipment in hospitals, the noise generated by the helical gear reducer motor during operation is extremely low, which will not interfere with the medical diagnosis and treatment process, ensuring a quiet medical environment; in precision testing instruments, the low vibration characteristics ensure that the instrument measurement accuracy is not affected by the operation of the motor, providing reliable detection data for scientific research, production and other fields.

High load capacity to adapt to heavy-load conditions

The helical gear reducer motor has excellent high load capacity and can adapt to various heavy-load conditions. The contact line of the helical gear tooth surface is inclined and has a large overlap, which increases the force area of ​​the gear when transmitting torque and reduces the load per unit area. This means that helical gears can withstand greater torque than spur gears under the same size and material conditions. In practical applications, for mechanical equipment that needs to transmit large torque, such as mining machinery, lifting machinery, etc., helical gear reduction motors can easily cope with heavy-load work requirements with their high load-bearing capacity. In mining, large crushers, conveyors and other equipment require powerful power drives. Helical gear reduction motors can stably output large torque, overcome the huge resistance of ore, ensure the normal operation of equipment, and improve mining efficiency. In the field of lifting machinery, whether it is a large container crane at a port or a tower crane at a construction site, in the process of lifting heavy objects, helical gear reduction motors can reliably provide the required large torque for lifting, walking and other mechanisms, ensure the safe and efficient lifting operation, meet the strict requirements for the high load-bearing capacity of motors under heavy-load conditions, and play an irreplaceable and important role in the heavy-load industry.