1. Misunderstanding 1: Coaxiality deviation
The coaxiality (alignment accuracy) of the motor shaft and the reducer input shaft is the core indicator during installation. If the center lines of the two axes fail to coincide, the following serious consequences will occur:
Accelerated damage to bearings and gears: Coaxiality deviation will cause the bearings to bear additional radial force, causing them to quickly heat up, wear, or even become stuck and broken. At the same time, gear meshing will produce unbalanced loads due to axis deviation, changing from ideal line contact to point contact, causing tooth surface wear, pitting corrosion and even broken teeth. The normal life of bearings and gears may be shortened by 30%-50%.
Vibration and noise increase dramatically: axis deviation will cause the transmission system to run unbalanced, producing periodic vibration and harsh friction sounds. If the vibration frequency coincides with the natural frequency of the equipment, causing resonance, it will also amplify the destructive force and cause the fasteners to loosen.
Decrease in transmission efficiency and accuracy: Deviation will lead to increased energy loss during the transmission process, and transmission efficiency may decrease by 5%-15%. In addition, it will also cause the gear backlash to increase, resulting in inaccurate equipment positioning and delayed response.
2. Misunderstanding 2: Brute force installation
When installing transmission parts such as synchronization wheels, sprockets or couplings on the output shaft, it is strictly prohibited to use a hammer to directly hit them.
Damage to internal parts: The huge impact force generated by brute force knocking will be directly transmitted to the inside of the reducer, which can easily cause irreversible damage to precision gears and bearings.
Correct assembly method: Use the assembly clamp and the internal thread of the shaft end, and use bolts to press the transmission part in smoothly and slowly.
3. Other installation details that cannot be ignored
In addition to the above two core misunderstandings, the following installation details also determine the success or failure of the reducer:
Flange surface fit and bolt tightening: The flange surface must be thoroughly cleaned before installation to ensure that there are no burrs, oil stains and foreign matter. The bolts must be tightened evenly in diagonal order to avoid shell deformation or loosening after long-term operation due to uneven stress.
Unbalanced load problem at the output end: If the components (such as swing arms and sprockets) installed at the output end of the reducer are too far from the end face, a large bending moment will be formed, causing early damage to the output bearing. The longer the moment arm, the greater the bending moment. If necessary, a reinforced reducer should be used.
The base and foundation are stable: the reducer must be installed on a solid, level foundation or base. If the base is unstable or the fixing bolts are not tightened, it will cause the equipment to shift after long-term operation, destroy the gear meshing state and amplify vibration.
Coupling selection: Try to avoid using rigid fixed couplings because they cannot compensate for installation errors and can easily cause unnecessary external loads. It is recommended to choose flexible couplings such as elastic or diaphragm type according to the actual deviation.
