Nonstandard Gear Installation for Metallurgical Industry
The gear is one of the most important components in the machinery industry, which can transfer the power from the drive source to the driven source in a certain proportion, with the characteristics of high precision and small occupied volume. In the metallurgical industry, gear installations play a crucial role for different kind of equipment, such as belt conveyors, crushing and grinding machines, lifting equipment, and so on. Generally, gear installation can be made from standard available gears and parts, or even from the customized nonstandard gears and parts.
For the nonstandard gear installation, most of the parameters and dimensions detailed in the relevant technical standards cannot always be met. In this case, the gear and its related parts must be designed and manufactured according to the specific requirements of the user. For instance, a small gear is usually needed to be used as the output gear part, as the installation size has limited the size and proportion of the configuration, hich can’t meet the existing standards. The small gear radius may be less than 5 mm and its diameter may be less than 10 mm, which means gear designers must provide custom solutions to ensure the high precise coordination and the corresponding reliability, while saving space and raw materials.
In order to achieve the precise coordination of nonstandard gear and parts, resin molding or 3D printing technology will be typically used. First of all, the gear parameters and dimensions must be solve out according to the design requirement, and then a model, typically in the form of a computer-aided design (CAD) drawing, is made according to the calculated parameters. The model is then used to form the gear parts, either through resin molding or 3D printing. The two technologies have been widely used nowadays for making different nonstandard gear assembly.
Resin molding technology involves pouring molten resin into a mold, which can be made using CAD/CAM, laser or electron-beam technologies according to the required gear size and shape. After the resin has cooled, a gear part with precise dimensions and shape is obtained. The advantage of this technology lies in its fast production speed and low cost.
3D printing is another important technology which can be used to produce nonstandard gear and parts. By using a 3D printer, a gear part designed in a CAD file can be printed directly. It uses an “additive” process, which means it builds up the layers of material one by one to form the gear, rather than taking away material to form the gear like other traditional subtractive processes. This significantly increases the flexibility of gear shapes and sizes, as well as improving the accuracy of the gears made.
After the gear parts are obtained by either resin molding or 3D printing process, they should be checked and hardened to ensure their integrity and accuracy. Once the parts have met the necessary standards, they can be assembled into a complete gear assembly, leading to improved functionality and reliability.
Overall, nonstandard gear installations involve careful planning and selection of materials to ensure accuracy and reliability. Resin molding or 3D printing processes offer the necessary high precision for the special gear assemblies in the metallurgical industry, allowing manufacturers to assemble nonstandard gears quickly and economically. With the continuous development of modern automation, nonstandard gear installations are playing a growing role in the metallurgical industry by speeding up the production process and increasing efficiency.
