Components, bearing and gearing technology, design – the new bevel gearheads recently launched by WITTENSTEIN alpha GmbH in Igersheim (Germany) incorporate several innovative features.
Excellent in applications requiring low reduction ratios
The new bevel gearhead family was designed as an extremely powerful solution for applications requiring low reduction ratios. The single-stage version covers the 1:1 and 1:2 ratios, providing maximum acceleration torques from 10 to 315 Nm with no more than 4 arcmin torsional backlash. It thus easily exceeds the current industry standard in this ratio range. The low-loss two-stage models with an integrated planetary gearhead are available with a shaft (SPC+) or flanged (TPC+) output and reduction ratios from i=4 to i=10. Their performance data is equally convincing: acceleration torques between 30 and 1600 Nm and circumferential backlash from 2 to 4 arcmin.
Special gearing technology
When it came to designing the pinions and crown wheels of the new right-angle gearheads, WITTENSTEIN alpha opted for toothing that would enhance their performance and place them in a higher DIN quality class. The targeted design and optimization of the macro and micro geometry simultaneously results in perfect running performance and a higher load capacity, so that maximum functional reliability is guaranteed even in highly dynamic applications. This is particularly evidenced by the high permissible torques, low operating noise and good transmission capability. Together with the ingenious, optimally matched bearing and lubrication concepts this adds up to between 95% and 97% efficient gearheads and very robust bearings. The innovations integrated in the design have moreover enabled absolute noise emission to be reduced by up to 6 dB(A) – equivalent to a quarter of the previous level.
An excellent example of "efficiency engineering"
The new bevel gearhead family is an excellent example of the "efficiency engineering" campaign, which is currently a hot topic at WITTENSTEIN alpha and which assimilates and bundles a wide range of product and process efficiency criteria. Amongst other things, these gearheads feature a one-piece aluminium housing that means significantly less weight. Integrated metal bellows couplings compensate misalignment and transmit the high torques with absolutely no damage or losses. The bevel gears are splash lubricated with low-viscosity oil in the optimized oil chamber. In addition to reducing churning losses, friction and heat generation to a minimum, this also helps attenuate operating noise. At the same time, the oil chamber and quantity allow the lifelong lubricated right-angle gearheads to be mounted in any position. The mistakes that sometimes occurred when ordering gearhead variants with a fixed position are now effectively ruled out, as are start-up errors such as the addition of too little or too much lube oil.
High-performance product in an elegant design
The elegant design of WITTENSTEIN alpha's new bevel gearheads makes them particularly well suited for open system concepts with non-encapsulated drive units, in other words where the machine elements and motors are visible. External bolts have been deliberately avoided. Functionally integrated beads on the housing for fixing the product to the application round off the unique design language of the bevel gearhead family.
Guaranteed compatibility
All the mechanical interfaces of the new SC+, SPC+ and TPC+ gearhead types are compatible with WITTENSTEIN alpha's SK, SPK and TPK right-angle gearhead series.