What is a slewing drive, what are its classification and application areas?
The slewing drive is a slewing reduction mechanism with an integrated driving power source. The slewing ring is used as the main transmission part and the mechanism attachment. Its essence is a permanent magnet motor with large torque. This product is also called a slewing reducer, a slewing drive, Compared with traditional rotary products, it is easy to install, easy to maintain, and save installation space to a greater extent. It is mainly used in beam trucks, aerial work vehicles, industrial robots, photovoltaic power generation, wind power generation, and construction machinery claws, etc. field.
What is a slewing drive
The slewing drive device is also called a slewing reducer, a gear reducer, a turntable reducer, a slewing mechanism, and a slewing drive pair. They are all types of reducers that use slewing bearings as the main support, and the auxiliary drive source uses gears or worms as the driving parts to achieve deceleration and full-circle rotation functions. The composition of the slewing drive mainly includes gears (or worms), slewing bearings, motors, housings, and bases. Slewing drive can be basically divided into single worm drive slewing drive, double worm drive slewing drive and special type of slewing drive.
Classification of slewing drives
1. Classification according to the transmission form
According to the variable transmission form of slewing drive, it can be divided into gear slewing drive and worm gear slewing drive, inheriting the characteristics of gear drive and worm gearing. These two slewing drives can be adapted to medium-high and low-speed applications respectively. In terms of carrying capacity, the performance of the worm gear type is better than that of the tooth type, and when the envelope worm transmission is adopted, its carrying capacity, anti-deformation ability and transmission rigidity are further improved, but the worm gear type slewing drive is more efficient in terms of efficiency. Inferior to the gear type slewing drive, the gear type slewing drive is divided into a straight tooth type slewing drive, a helical tooth type slewing drive, and a volute type slewing drive.
2. Classification according to the openness of the slewing drive
According to the openness of the slewing drive transmission mechanism, the slewing drive can be divided into open and closed. Generally, the open structure is mostly used in applications where the environment is too harsh and the maintenance and maintenance cycle is short. The open structure is more convenient for parts. The inspection, maintenance and maintenance of the product are also more convenient for replacement. However, the closed structure can provide a longer maintenance life cycle in occasions where the environmental conditions have not changed much and the environmental pollution level is below the medium level.
3. Classification according to driving power
According to the structure operation type of the slewing drive, it can be divided into light slewing drive, medium slewing drive and heavy slewing drive. According to the slewing drive’s power, size, dead weight, and application in different fields and machines to achieve its own functions, the light-duty slewing drive is light in weight, and its load and deceleration capabilities are suitable for high-speed (≥10rpm), vibration, impact loads, etc. Working conditions: The medium-sized slewing drive is suitable for high-speed (≥10rpm), vibration, impact load and other working conditions, and the heavy-duty slewing drive is suitable for high-speed (≤3rpm), heavy-duty, and intermittent working conditions.
4. Classification according to the structure of the drive composition
According to the composition of the drive device, it is divided into vertical drive and horizontal slewing drive. Vertical slewing drive means that the traction motor and the traveling wheel are vertical, and the traction motor is upright above the traveling wheel. It has the advantages of small gyration radius, high protection level, convenient maintenance, etc., but high manufacturing cost; horizontal drive means that the traction motor and the traveling wheel are parallel, and the traction motor is mostly coaxial with the traveling wheel and is horizontal. It has the advantages of compact structure, simplicity, and low installation height.
Application of slewing drive
After understanding what the slewing drive is, let’s take a look at its specific application. The slewing reducer can be used in the occasions that require full-circle rotation and variable speed requirements. When it is necessary to achieve larger torque power transmission, higher precision motion transmission, or the selection of a mechanism with a compact body structure and a higher requirement for integration, the slewing drive Is a good solution.
1. The field of beam transport vehicles
The core components of the traditional beam truck slewing assembly mostly use traditional slewing ring products. Compared with the slewing drive, the slewing ring does not have an outer shell, and the corrosion resistance is not ideal, and hydraulic cylinders are used to drive the steering of the tires. In terms of the system, the rotation angle range of the tire is also greatly restricted. The selection of a slewing drive device as a slewing component can not only improve the corrosion resistance of the component, but also increase the steering angle of each group of tires.
2. The field of aerial work vehicles
Aerial work trucks are an important application area of slewing drive. Generally, high-altitude work trucks require the host to have a higher safety factor. The high safety of slewing drive (self-locking of worm gears) is the majority of users choose it as an aerial work platform accessory On the other hand, the worm gear transmission has a larger transmission speed ratio, so that while improving the safety factor of the main engine, a set of worm gear reducers can also be omitted for the main engine, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost of the main engine.
3. The field of photovoltaic power generation
Photovoltaic power generation is an important application field of slewing drive. Solar photovoltaic modules with slewing drive as a rotating part can accurately adjust the rotation and elevation angle of the host according to the different positions of the sun during the day. The solar panels are always in good condition. Receiving angle.
4. Wind power generation
Similar to photovoltaic power generation, the slewing drive can be applied to the yaw part of the wind generator to realize the horizontal 360° rotation of the mechanism, so as to better adjust the receiving angle.
5. The field of construction machinery claws
Construction machinery auxiliary equipment is a new application field of slewing drive. The slewing drive is used as the claw of the rotating mechanism, which makes the design structure more concise, which is more conducive to use and maintenance. At the same time, the worm gear drive has a larger reduction ratio, which makes the claws, etc. The positioning accuracy of construction machinery aids has also been greatly improved.
6. The field of industrial robots
Due to the compact structure and short transmission chain, the slewing drive is easier to achieve higher accuracy and easier to carry out digital control, so it is also widely used in the field of industrial robots. Recently, robots derived from AGV (mobile robots), spot welding robots, welding robots, arc welding robots, laser processing robots, vacuum robots, clean robots and other varieties have slewing drive applications.
