DN Staff

June 21, 1999

3 Min Read
Designer's Corner

Integral gearmotor

Coupling a gear head to a motor adds compliance to motion-system designs that can limit servo performance. By integrating gear head and motor into a single housing, the device has fewer parts, is more reliable, and takes up less space than using individual components.

Available in 60-, 90-, and 115-mm frame sizes, and ratios of 3:1, 5:1, 7:1, and 10:1, the gearmotor offers high torque carrying capacity and quiet operation in either a right-angle or in-line configuration.

Modular construction provides the flexibility to modify and upgrade the unit in the field with a brake, encoder, resolver, or industrial-style connectors. Applications include packaging, robotics, and automation equipment.

Steven Buffamonte, Bayside Motion Group, 27 Seaview Blvd., Port Washington, NY 11050; (516) 484-5482 ext. 108.

Stealth Planetary Gearmotor's gear head and motor share a set of bearings and a housing to reduce the number of components, eliminate coupling and misalignment issues, and simplify installation.


Snap-fit roller

Power-Core[TM] rollers run more quietly than metal, absorb vibration and shock, do not wear out the rail, and offer low rolling resistance. O.D. sizes range from 1/2 to 8 inches or larger. Snap-in bearing installation lowers cost, eliminates the need for retaining rings, and is possible because of the stress-free structure of the tire's composite material.

The bearing is installed into the precision machined and heated tire. Upon cooling, the tire shrinks securely around the bearing and provides positive pressure contact between outer-bearing ring and plastic tire from -40F to 140F temperatures. Applications range from precision positioning devices to ski lifts.

Georg Bartosch, Intech Corp., 250 Hubert Ave., Closter, NJ 07624; (201) 767-8066; www.intechpower.com.

Gravity cast into molds, the tire material cools forming crystal clusters called spherolites. Spherolites require more energy to break up than individual crystals, and help the composite resist flow under load. Material stability makes initial-rolling-resistance, flat-development, and life-expectancy calculations possible.


Hex-head lubrication

In harsh conditions, full-complement, needle-roller cam followers may demand routine relubrication. Untimely cam-follower failure often turns up when the lube holes are too difficult to get at with a grease gun.

HexLube(R) allows relubrication in tight spots or when stud access is limited. The universal cam follower can eliminate the need to stock screw slots or unsealed cam followers. Eccentric and crowned, standard- or heavy-stud designs are available. Sizes range from 3/4-inch to 7-inch O.D.

Werner Guilford, RBC Bearings, 400 Sullivan Way, West Trenton, NJ 08628; (609) 882-5050.

HexLube allows lubrication through the head for both hex-hole or screwdriver-slot universal cam follower designs.

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