Servo gearbox solves design challenge

The critical control component becoming obsolete was the servo gearbox on the guillotine control system. "When we looked at the torque and accuracy elements required for a servo gearbox, we noticed that most gearbox manufacturer’s products lost a lot of torque when you reduce the ratio," explains BCH project manager, Marc Oddy.

“This pointed us towards the Apex Dynamics range and in particular their KF180 High Precision Planetary Gearbox series and in upgrading the machine design the changes have now been made to integrate the Apex KF180 Gearbox. The only roadblock we ran into in implementing the new design was finalising the ratio selection we required on the gearbox, and Apex assisted us with the flexibility for us to test the different ratios. However, with Apex’s help we modified the previous design, implemented the unit, and tested the new capability, which then allowed us to choose the correct ratio to meet our requirements," says Oddy.

“We chose the KF180, due to the two critical elements of good torque retention and continuous running capability and have not been disappointed at all with the actual performance of the unit.”

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