From Left to Right:
- Worm Gear Driven by Worm
- Hypoid Gear Driven by Hypoid Pinion
- Bevel Gear Driven by Bevel Pinion
Hub City HERA Hypoid Gearing: High Efficiency, Small Footprint
Warehouse distribution centers require large, complex material handling systems and can use hundreds of gearboxes with varying sizes and configurations. Maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) support for these gearboxes usually involves spares inventory on-site. Having a large inventory of spares is a pain point for those who rely on gearboxes to keep their systems moving. There is one gearbox that offers the potential to reduce inventory footprint with the added potential benefit of longer life and energy savings.
The Hub City HERA gear drive is a right angle helical-hypoid bevel gearbox with a creative design concept that provides an interchangeable alternative that is worth exploring.
Why Right Angle Gearing?
Gearboxes help motors power applications. Attached to the motor's shaft, gearboxes ensure a system has the correct rotational speed and torque to effectively move product.
Often, available space is one of the key factors in deciding which type of gearbox is used. Right angle gear drives provide a shaft configuration that is often convenient for use on conveyors, keeping the motor under, or close to the side of the conveyor.
Right Angle Gearing Options
The primary choices for right angle gearing are worm and bevel, which is sometimes combined with helical gearing. The type of gearbox used depends on application, cost and efficiency. For ratios below 5:1, single-reduction bevel gearboxes are available, but these rarely meet the ratio needs of a conveyor. Above 5:1 ratios, designs using worm gears are simpler. A single reduction worm gear box can give the user ratios from 5:1 to 60:1 with fewer bearings and moving parts. This makes the cost lower than other types of right angle gearboxes. At larger torque ratings, worm gearing can become less cost-effective.
HERA: The Creative Replacement
The Hub City HERA uses a combination of helical and hypoid bevel gearing to achieve a ratio range similar to single reduction worm gears. The compact hypoid bevel gearing allows a gearbox design that is physically smaller than similarly-rated worm gearboxes.
This allows a very creative approach to gearbox replacement management. For example, the HERA size 35 has the same mounting dimensions as a 1.75” center distance worm gearbox, with a much higher torque rating. The higher torque rating will provide a longer life in the same application. With adapter kits, the HERA 35 can also replace worm gearboxes with 2.06” center distance with equivalent torque rating.
With this approach, the four HERA sizes available can be used to replace 11 worm gearbox center distances ranging from 1.75” to 6”, offering longer life where ratings are higher. This allows potential for a significant reduction in complexity and inventory, as well as the potential for reduced replacement cost.
An Added Benefit: Efficiency
The HERA High Efficiency Right Angle Hypoid Gear Drive delivers reliability and efficiency. The helical and hypoid bevel gearing combination used in HERA is 90 percent across the full ratio range. Worm gearing efficiency ranges from just over 90 percent at 5:1, but drops into the 60 percent range at 60:1. This difference means the HERA can also provide energy savings to the user.
Schedule a System Review
Whether managing an existing conveyor system, or planning for a new system, the HERA can offer a more cost-effective solution. Our experts can review your conveyor system data and provide a full analysis to show potential savings. Key points to consider for potential savings:- Inventory and SKU reduction
- Longer life and lower replacement cost
- Energy savings