Slewing Drives: Single Worm & Double Worm Drives
Slewing drive
The slewing drive is a gearbox that can safely hold radial and axial loads, as well as transmit a torque for rotating. The rotation can be in a single axis, or in multiple axes together. Slewing drives are made by manufacturing gearing, bearings, seals, housing, motor and other auxiliary components and assembling them into a finished gearbox.
Technology
Slewing drives function with standard worm technology, in which the worm on the horizontal shaft acts as the driver for the gear. The rotation of the horizontal screw turns a gear about an axis perpendicular to the screw axis. This combination reduces the speed of the driven member and also multiplies its torque; increasing it proportionally as the speed decreases. The speed ratio of shafts depends upon the relation of the number of threads on the worm to the number of teeth in the worm wheel or gear.
As technology has improved, more slewing drives are using hourglass worm technology, in which the worm is shaped to engage more teeth in the gear. This increased tooth engagement results in greater strength, efficiency and durability.
Performance characteristics
Because of their multiple uses, slewing drives come in a variety of model sizes, performance ranges and mounting characteristics. The drives are well suited for applications that require both load holding and rotational torque from the same gear box. They can also be made with dual axes of rotation, (turning axes at the same time) or with dual drives on the same axis, (two worm threads driving the same ring gear in one axis).
SE Enclosed Slew Drives help power movement across industries and are perfect for situations requiring both load-holding and rotational torque from the same gearbox. Typical applications include solar trackers, wind turbines, satellite and radar dishes, truck cranes, man lifts, utility equipment, hydraulic equipment attachments, oil tool equipment, tire handlers, digger derricks, and automotive lifts.
Our base model sizes deliver performance ranges from 6kNm to 220kNm of holding torque, 200Nm to 63kNm of output torque, 500Nm to 271kNm of overturning moment load capacity, and gearbox reduction ratios of 30:1 up to 156,600:1. The mounting can be done horizontally, vertically, or across a combination of multiple axes. Get detailed specifications.
Kinematics slew drives are powered with patented hourglass worm technology to give increased efficiency and accuracy. Unlike standard worms which touch only one tooth, our hourglass worm engages 5 to 11 teeth on the pitch line of the ring gear from the hourglass thread. This increased tooth engagement gives the gearbox enormous strength and power. See how the hourglass worm improves performance.
Double worm slewing drive
The most common slewing drive application for the dual-axis slewing drives are dual-axis solar trackers, such as heliostats and concentrated photovoltaics (CPV), and satellite or radar dishes. Other applications include automotive lifts, robotic arm positioners, and stage equipment.
Our base model sizes deliver performance ranges from 3,000Nm to 10,000Nm of holding torque, 200Nm to 3,700Nm of output torque, 500Nm to 13,000 Nm of tilting torque, and gearbox reduction ratios of 30:1 up to 156,600:1 on each axis. The drives can be mounted horizontally, vertically, or on a combination of multiple axes. Get more information.
Kinematics slew drives use patented hourglass worm technology to give maximum control and movement support. Our worm gears engage 5 to 11 teeth on the pitch line of the ring gear from the hourglass screw, which is higher tooth engagement than standard worms, giving the gearbox greater stability and strength. Learn more about hourglass technology.