Some reducers are bought, installed and promptly forgotten

When looking for high performance and reliability in speed reducers, torque is what really matters.
Ever consider a cycloid drive?
Submitted by: Stefanie Burns, Marketing Dept. (Sumitomo Drive Technologies)

Cycloid discs are a major improvement in tooth

dynamics. An improvement that allows torquetransmitting parts to roll, not grind. Since cycloidal
drives have no teeth, the problems often associated
with toothed gears are eliminated.

having gear teeth, cycloid drives have two-thirds of

their reduction components in contact at all times. The
pressure is distributed throughout these contact points
and generates a smoother and more efficient
operation that eliminates downtime caused by tooth
failure.
Overheating Will Cause More Downtime
Conventional helical gears are inefficient compared to
cycloid drives because of the bearing rolling friction,
gear mesh friction, seal drag, churning of lubrication
and the winding up of rotating components. With all
this friction, conventional gear drives experience
thermal limitations, that require stopping operations
to allow them to cool down. Thermal limitations to
Cycloid drives have no because their thermal ratings
exceed the mechanical capabilities.

Wear & Tooth Breakage

The primary cause of wear, tooth breakage and
catastrophic failure in helical gearboxes is usually the
high-speed pinion. Cycloidal drives do not have a
high-speed pinion or gear teeththey do not operate
in shear, but rather in compression. In addition to not

What is Different?
The main components of the cycloidal drive are: the
eccentric cam, the internally flanged output shaft, the
cycloidal disc and the ring gear housing. These
components operate so uniquely that they are able to
not only withstand high shock-loads, but keep the
operation smooth and steady where most other drives

are in for a shock. This type of gearing is ideal for

severe reversing and frequent stop-start operations
and shock-load applications such as conveying and
food processing.
How it Works
As the eccentric (high-speed shaft) rotates, it rolls the
cycloid discs around the internal circumference of the
stationary ring gear. The resulting action is similar to
that of a wheel rolling along the inside of a ring. As
the wheel (cycloid discs) travels in a clockwise path
around the ring (ring gear), the wheel turns in a
counter-clockwise direction around its own axis. In the
reducer, the lobes (rather than teeth) of the cycloid
discs engage successively with the pins of the fixed
ring gear, thus providing a reverse rotation at a
reduced speed. For each complete revolution of the
high-speed shaft, the cycloid discs advance a distance
of one lobe in the reverse direction. Typically, there is
one less lobe per cycloid disc than there are pins in the
fixed ring gear. The reduction ratio of a reducer is
equal to the number of lobes in each disc. The
movement of cycloid disc is transmitted to the slow
speed shaft by the projection of pins through the bores
of the discs. This two-disc system is used to increase
torque capacities and offer an exceptionally smooth
vibration-less drive.

Size for size, cycloidal speed reducers deliver

substantially more torque than conventional speed
reducers, making it possible to select a smaller, lowercost reducer for almost any application. Because all
contact between the torque-transmitting components
is of a rolling nature rather than grinding or a sliding
friction, cycloidal drives withstand an exceptionally
long life while exhibiting minimal wear.

The cycloid drive performed 24

hours a day for 10 million hours of
productive time until one finally quit.
I accept that kind of performance
Selecting the wrong speed reducer may lead to failure
or inefficiencies that can then lead to costly equipment
and production downtime. If you are considering
alternatives to conventional speed reducers, it is
important to choose a gear mechanism that is optimal
for that particular applicationso you can forget
about it.

Cycloidal Gearing
Many teeth share the shock of
overload allowing high shock load
capacity
All torque-transmitting parts roll, not
grind

Conventional Helical Gearing

1 or 2 teeth absorb the entire shock of
overload causing heavy stress
Torque-transmitting parts grind, wear,
and can break off
Highly Efficient