Worm Gear Manufacturing

An incredibly common type of gear that even the non-initiated in the world of industrial gearboxes would recognise, worm gears are commonly used when businesses need gearboxes that can deal with large speed reductions and shock loads, quickly.

As experts in worm gear units, our team here at Highfield Gears are extremely talented and capable of manufacturing bespoke worm gears and accompanying worm wheels, for your industrial gearboxes.

Since we were founded back in 1927, we have had the pleasure of repairing or manufacturing these gears for businesses like Ineos, Tata, and other companies across the UK and Europe. In fact, our years of creating heavy-duty worm gear sets have allowed us to become just as adept at manufacturing other types of gears such as spur gears, helical gears, worm gears and double helical gears, for your planetary gearboxes, worm gearboxes, extruder gearboxes and helical bevel gearboxes.

Our commitment to investing in the latest machinery means, as well as manufacturing individual gears, we can repair and recondition virtually any type of gearbox, from bevel helical gearboxes to spur gearboxes and various types of worm gearboxes, no matter who the original manufacturer was, be it David Brown, Sumitomo, Flender, Renold or Radicon.

To get in touch with us about our worm gear manufacturing capabilities, and how we can help your business call us on 01484 531 010 or email us at sales@hgi-uk.co.uk.

What Is A Worm Gear?

A worm gear is technically made up of two components, the gear itself and something called the worm wheel. The worm wheel is a cylinder, or worm shaft, with what looks like one continuous spiral going down it, this is called a 'start'. This worm wheel connects with the worm gear teeth to create the gears that we are familiar with.

Combined, a worm wheel and worm gear quietly slide, are self-locking and have a gear reduction ratio that is determined by dividing the number of teeth with the number of ‘starts’ on the worm.

A typical worm gear is made from a soft metal, whereas the worms themselves are made from a harder metal, this combination reduces the level of heat that is caused by the coefficient of friction.

Due to its design, the feature of the worms, and the self-locking feature of the gear, worm wheels can have multiple starts and will often have several threads or helicals on the worm. In addition to this, one 360 degree turn will advance the gear by one tooth, this is due to the meshing of the two elements and means that worm gears have low transmission efficiency because they can’t get up to speed quickly, unlike bevel gears.

Why Is It Called A Worm Gear?

The name and appearance of worm gears are derived from bionics and the fact that a worm gear resembles a volute. A volute is a spiral, scroll-like ornament that can be found on the pillars of Ionic buildings across the world. Worm gears are also found in centrifugal fans and centrifugal pumps, and the cases in which they sit also resemble volute-like structures.

Why Lubricants Are So Important

The spiral motion of a worm gear allows vast amounts of reduction to occur in a relatively small space, especially when you compare this to a standard helical gear.

However, sliding friction or sliding wear can occur in the primary mode of power transfer. As the power moves through the worm the peak load lands on the tooth and, as it moves it slowly, rubs the lubricant off. It does this until there is no lubricant left, and this causes the worm to rub the metal of the wheel. To combat this high rolling wear, high viscous lubricants are needed to avoid the worm from touching the wheel in such a way that it wears it down. A thick film of lubricant is needed to fill the spaces and separate the two components, without it wiping it away before that part of the worm is out of the peak load zone.

When looking for lubricants for worm gears, be sure to look for mineral-based, compounded gear oils. Its fatty, additive combination results in good lubricity and can provide you with an extra level of protection against the unwanted metal on metal contact that can seriously damage worm gears.

Viscosity is the major factor in preventing the worm from touching the wheel. For these types of lubricants, purpose-built filters and pumps will be needed on-site at all times. High viscous lubricants require a slow operating pump to prevent the lubricant from activating the filter bypass. You’ll also need a big enough surface area in your filter to allow the lubricant to flow through at the correct speed.

Our team are experts in a wide range of gear lubricants and can advise you about which one is best for you, be it for a worm gear or other type of gear such as double helical, or spur.

Our Worm Gear Manufacturing Process

Every time a new customer reaches out to us at our Huddersfield-based industrial gear centre, we approach their problem with the same level of enthusiasm as we did when we first started back in the late 1920s. We can help anyone, whether they are gear experts, have provided drawings and know what kind of worm wheel or helical worm gear they want, or, have been presented with a problem and need a team that can provide insight, recommendations, and solutions.

Throughout the process of creating your new worm gear units, we’ll make a concerted effort to show you our process. From photographs and phone calls to a final report that states what we have done and why we did it. At the end of the process, we’ll also provide you with a proactive list of recommendations so you don’t have the same problem with your worm drives in the future.

Our commitment to creating any type of worm gear that is high-quality, long-lasting and features a compact design for your gearbox, is backed up by the fact we have all the necessary equipment in house. By having our own cutting and lathe tools we’re able to track quality, offer those aforementioned reports and reduce your waiting time. All this makes Highfield Gears a one-stop-shop for all things related to gears and gearboxes up to 18-tonnes.

Worm Gear Applications

There are two broad worm gear applications that one would use when selecting which type of worm gearbox is most suitable for powering their machinery.

Firstly, when compared to standard gears, such as bevel gears, worms can take on a huge reduction ratio without any major stress on the component parts. This allows gearbox engineers to do one of two things – increase the torque capacity or reduce the speed.

Another key application is the fact you cannot reverse the direction of power. This coefficient of friction found between the worm and wheel means it’s nearly impossible for a wheel, with applied force, to move the worm. This can be applied to hoisting or lifting applications where self-locking and a coefficient of friction are needed to keep things in place.

A final application is in the use of heavy equipment or crushing machines, the reason these units are applied in this setting is because of the softer material that is used to make the gear, which allows them to absorb the shock from heavy loads.

We’ve worked with countless businesses who use worm gears in a variety of different applications and understand that they can become faulty at a moment’s notice, which is why we’re proud to offer a 24/7 emergency repair option. So, even if it is the middle of the night, you can rest assured knowing there are gear experts on hand to help you manufacture new gears which will reduce your levels of downtime and allow you to focus on other elements of your business.

Why You Wouldn’t Want To Use Worm Gears

If you don’t have the correct lubricants then you may want to avoid worm gears. Due to the movement between the worm and the wheel gear, which slides as opposed to rolls, lubricating these units can be very difficult. Specific products need to be on-site to be able to lubricate these systems and if you don’t have those on hand, your worm gears will quickly overheat and malfunction. Further, these are difficult to filter which simply adds to the problem.

At Highfield Gears, we are specialists in manufacturing powerful industrial worm gears with compact designs & fair prices.

A worm gear is one of the most common types of gear that you will find in an industrial gearbox, and they are generally used when you need a gearbox that gives a large speed reduction and shock loads when you need it quickly.

What is a worm gear?

Worm gear manufacturing includes a shaft with a spiral section, that will engage with and run a toothed wheel. Worm gears are a traditional form of gear, and they utilise the movement of two very different shapes to produce a unique movement. You will find that a worm gear includes a worm wheel and a worm (like a screw) with a perpendicular, non-intersecting shaft at 90 degrees to each other. The worm wheel is the driven element, and the screw is the driving element.

Industrial worm gearbox manufacturing typically uses bronze material and the gear rotates according to the movement of the screw. The idea is to reduce the rotational speed of a system, or to transmit a higher torque, depending on the requirement of the application.

How does an industrial worm gearbox work?

When power is applied to the worm, it rotates against the wheel and transfers power to the worm wheel which causes the wheel to thrust against the load. This then allows the determination of speed, and for a higher torque to be transmitted. An industrial worm gearbox is designed to bear loads that are known to produce high shock, and they are known for their low noise levels and relatively low maintenance.

Where is a worm gearbox used?

As a leading worm gear supplier, our gearboxes have been used in many different applications, including:

Rolling mills
Mining
Presses
Manufacturing and packing industries
Small machinery and conveyors
Escalator / elevator drive systems
Crane gearboxes
Cooling towers
Large mixers

Thanks to its unique design, you would need a worm gear manufacturer for several different industries. Some common reasons for using a worm gear specialist include:

When you need to control noise – due to the contract of two different elements in worm gear manufacturing, a worm gearbox reduces noise pollution when working. This makes it the ideal option when you need to control the level of noise pollution.
When swift stopping is needed – since back driving is almost impossible to acquire with the worm gear, they are extremely popular in applications where stopping needs to be done swiftly and accurately such as lifts and elevators.
Where shock loading is required – thanks to the soft materials used in worm gear manufacturing, a worm gearbox is naturally shock absorption while not causing much damage. This is particularly useful for heavy duty machines and rock crushing.
When space is a concern – You will find worm gears in applications where torque is needed in a confined space. Thanks to the unique shape, the worm gear allows flexibility and versatility, and as a worm gear supplier we have seen them used in packaging equipment, conveyors, and general small machinery.

Why choose us for your worm gear manufacturing?

Even though worm gears are incredibly common, it does not mean that something can’t go wrong – and when it does, we know how damaging it can be for your business. As a leading worm gear specialist, we have years of manufacturing experience to give you the highest quality gears at the best prices. We understand gear manufacturing and can offer you bespoke solutions to the most common gear problems that you will encounter. Get in touch today for more information.

FAQs

An industrial worm gearbox is used to change the torque or the output speed of a motor. It involved a gear arrangement in which a worm meshes with a worm wheel (the worm screw and the worm gear) and pushes against the force. Worm gearboxes are typically used in mining, cranes, mixers, cooling towers, rolling mills and manufacturing industries.

There are three main types of worm gear – non-throated, single throated, and double throated. The non-throated worm gear is a full worm that does not have a groove mechanism. The single throated worm gear includes curved helical teeth that cover the worm. The double throated worm gear has the curved teeth plus a worm screw.

Industrial worm gearboxes can be constructed either right-handed or left-handed, which allows them to rotate either clockwise or anti-clockwise. Unlike other gear trains, the direction of transmission is not reversible when using large reduction ratios.

Due to the friction created between the teeth of the worm screw and the worm wheel, it is not possible to drive an industrial worm gearbox backwards. Self-locking of the worm gear can occur when assembly is either in a static or a dynamic state, but more commonly when static (not moving). These self-locking properties can be extremely beneficial in many different applications.

If you want to increase the efficiency of your worm gear, there are several factors you can consider including the materials used for the meshed gears, the input rotational speed, the type and the viscosity of the lubricating oils, the worm shape, and even the temperature. Get in touch with our worm gear specialist for more information and advice to increase your worm gear efficiency today.

The worm gear is a thread cut into a round bar, and the worm wheel is a gear that meshes with the worm shaft. Generally, the mesh will be set at a 90-degree angle, and the worm has a relatively small number of threads on a small diameter, while the worm wheel will have a large number of teeth on a larger diameter.

Worm gears are used in a wide variety of different applications, and you will be able to find worm gears in speed reducers, machine tools, elevators and lifts, cranes, mash mixers and cooling towers.

Typically, a worm gear manufacturer will use a brass wheel and a steel worm simply because the brass wheel is easier to replace than the worm itself. When the two surfaces come into contact with each other the worm is safer from wear and tear because the wheel is softer, so most of the wear occurs on the wheel.

The most common material for a worm gear is a brass wheel with a steel worm. As the wheel is the easiest part to replace, the brass material will suffer more wear and tear when it comes into contact with the worm and protects the worm from damage. Other materials include both wheel and worm to be steel, both to be brass, and even plastic on metal combinations.

Worm gears are extremely common but that does not mean that when something goes wrong, it is any less damaging to your business’s day-to-day operations. Here at Highfield Gears, we understand the need to apply bespoke solutions to even the most popular of gears, and that’s exactly what you can expect when you work with us.

For decades, we have helped businesses across the UK, in areas such as Swansea, York, Nottingham, as well as further afield in Europe. So, no matter where you are we can help, simply give us a call today on 01484 531 010 or email us at sales@hgi-uk.co.uk – we look forward to hearing from you.