As the core transmission component of automation equipment, the operating noise of planetary reducers not only affects the user experience of the equipment, but also directly reflects the operating status and potential risk of failure of the equipment. In actual use, different types of noise often correspond to different sources of problems. Learning to "listen to the sound to identify faults" is the key to quickly troubleshooting reducer problems and ensuring stable operation of the equipment.
1. Normal operation noise: "mechanical language" no need to worry about
When the reducer is running, the continuous, steady and slight sound produced by the gear meshing is a normal phenomenon. The amount of this noise is directly related to two core factors:
Effect of rotation speed: The higher the rotation speed, the faster the frequency of gear meshing, and the noise will increase accordingly;
Impact of speed ratio: The larger the speed ratio, the smoother the deceleration process, the smaller the impact between gears, and the smaller the noise will be.
As long as the sound is continuous and stable without any sudden changes or abnormal noise, it means that the reducer is in normal working condition and there is no need to worry too much.
2. Intermittent irregular noise: gear damage or foreign object interference
If the reducer makes intermittent, irregular and clear abnormal sounds, it is most likely caused by the following two problems:
Gear bumps/wear: After the gear tooth surface is bumped, scratched or worn for a long time, jamming and jumping will occur during meshing, resulting in irregular noise;
3. Hard and dry noise: lubrication failure or poor meshing
When the reducer makes a hard, dry friction sound when running, it is often related to lubrication or assembly problems:
Lubrication failure: The grease in gears or bearings dries up, is lost, or has not been replaced for a long time, resulting in a decrease in lubrication effect, loss of lubrication protection between components, and direct dry friction producing harsh noises;
Poor gear meshing: The gear installation position is offset during assembly, the coaxiality error is too large, or the gear processing accuracy is insufficient, resulting in uneven meshing gaps and hard friction noise during operation.
This situation will accelerate component wear and greatly shorten the service life of the reducer. Grease needs to be replenished or replaced in time, and assembly accuracy must be rechecked.
4. Noise at startup: caused by backlash and servo rigidity
Some reducers only make obvious noise at the moment of starting, and the sound disappears after continuous operation. This is mostly backlash noise: there is a normal meshing gap between the gears of the reducer. At the moment of starting, the power output by the servo motor suddenly acts, and a brief impact sound will be produced at the gear gap. When superimposed with the rigid sound of the servo starting, it will form an abnormal sound at the starting moment. This situation is a normal backlash impact, but if the noise is too loud, it may be caused by excessive backlash or too high servo rigidity setting. It can be improved by adjusting the servo parameters or selecting a low backlash reducer.
