This article presents the design of patented worm gear drives, which allow backlash adjustment or elimination by using specially designed worms and worm wheels. Many of the presented solutions allow backlash adjustment without disassembling the drive. The proposed solutions allow reduction of both backlash and its standard deviation to as little as 7.5% and 5% of their initial values, respectively. The presented solutions are a good alternative to harmonic drives and conventional precise drives, which are currently in use. The presented drives can successfully find their application in mechanisms for precise positioning of test benches, as well as in precise technological equipment, technological instrumentation, and in the case of miniaturization—in mechanisms resistant to severe working conditions.
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February 2016
Technical Briefs
Worm Gear Drives With Adjustable Backlash
Wojciech Kacalak,
Wojciech Kacalak
Professor
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering,
Koszalin University of Technology,
Koszalin 75-620, Poland
e-mail: wojciech.kacalak@tu.koszalin.pl
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering,
Koszalin University of Technology,
Koszalin 75-620, Poland
e-mail: wojciech.kacalak@tu.koszalin.pl
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Maciej Majewski,
Maciej Majewski
Associate Professor
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering,
Koszalin University of Technology,
Koszalin 75-620, Poland
e-mail: maciej.majewski@tu.koszalin.pl
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering,
Koszalin University of Technology,
Koszalin 75-620, Poland
e-mail: maciej.majewski@tu.koszalin.pl
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Zbigniew Budniak
Zbigniew Budniak
Assistant Professor
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering,
Koszalin University of Technology,
Koszalin 75-620, Poland
e-mail: zbigniew.budniak@tu.koszalin.pl
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering,
Koszalin University of Technology,
Koszalin 75-620, Poland
e-mail: zbigniew.budniak@tu.koszalin.pl
Search for other works by this author on:
Wojciech Kacalak
Professor
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering,
Koszalin University of Technology,
Koszalin 75-620, Poland
e-mail: wojciech.kacalak@tu.koszalin.pl
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering,
Koszalin University of Technology,
Koszalin 75-620, Poland
e-mail: wojciech.kacalak@tu.koszalin.pl
Maciej Majewski
Associate Professor
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering,
Koszalin University of Technology,
Koszalin 75-620, Poland
e-mail: maciej.majewski@tu.koszalin.pl
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering,
Koszalin University of Technology,
Koszalin 75-620, Poland
e-mail: maciej.majewski@tu.koszalin.pl
Zbigniew Budniak
Assistant Professor
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering,
Koszalin University of Technology,
Koszalin 75-620, Poland
e-mail: zbigniew.budniak@tu.koszalin.pl
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering,
Koszalin University of Technology,
Koszalin 75-620, Poland
e-mail: zbigniew.budniak@tu.koszalin.pl
1Corresponding author.
Manuscript received November 18, 2014; final manuscript received March 15, 2015; published online August 18, 2015. Assoc. Editor: James Schmiedeler.
J. Mechanisms Robotics. Feb 2016, 8(1): 014504 (7 pages)
Published Online: August 18, 2015
Article history
Received:
November 18, 2014
Revision Received:
March 15, 2015
Citation
Kacalak, W., Majewski, M., and Budniak, Z. (August 18, 2015). "Worm Gear Drives With Adjustable Backlash." ASME. J. Mechanisms Robotics. February 2016; 8(1): 014504. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4030164
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