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Revolutionary Planetary Gearing Revolutionizes Mechanical Systems With Solidworks
Unlocking the Power of Planetary Gear Motion with SOLIDWORKS
Planetary gearing is a revolutionary technology that has transformed the way we design and engineer mechanical systems. This compact alternative to traditional pinion-and-gear reducers offers unparalleled high torque capabilities, making it an ideal solution for a wide range of applications, from aerospace to automotive and industrial equipment.
To begin our journey into the realm of planetary gears, we need to understand the fundamental components involved. A typical planetary gear assembly consists of three planet gears (blue), one sun gear (orange), one ring gear (black), one carrier, three carrier shafts, and one sun shaft. Each component plays a crucial role in the overall motion and performance of the system.
To start assembling our gear system, we create a new assembly document and insert all the necessary parts into it. We then draw an additional construction circle sketch on the ring gear to define the Planet Gear Path, ensuring that the planet gears rotate smoothly along the designated path and maintain their original orientation.
With all components in place, we assemble our planetary gear system by mating the back face of each gear coincident to the Front Plane of the assembly. To speed up this process, we use the Multiple Mate Mode button and select the Front plane as the common reference. We mate the center of the pitch circles on the Ring Gear and Sun Gear to the Assembly origin, allowing them to spin freely.
With the ring gear and sun gear in place, we focus on mating the planet gears. We mate the center of the pitch circles of each planet gear coincident to the Planet Gear Path sketch, ensuring that they rotate smoothly along the designated path.
To secure the carrier shafts to their respective planet gears, we add concentric mates, making sure they are flush with the front faces of the planet gears. This provides a solid foundation for our planetary gear system.
With the carrier shafts securely attached, we get the carrier itself into place by adding concentric mates to each carrier shaft and one coincident mate to bring it flush with the back of one of the shafts. We ensure that the carrier is properly aligned.
To complete our assembly, we add additional mates to secure the sun shaft in place. By mating the center of the pitch circles of the sun gear coincident to the Assembly origin and referencing planes together with the Coincident mate, we link the rotation of the two parts.
We select the Pitch circles drawn on each gear to create gear mates, allowing us to test and adjust the gear ratios as needed. We add gear mates between the three planet gears and the ring gear, as well as one gear mate between a single planet gear and the sun gear, demonstrating the motion of our planetary gear system.
To verify that our gear mates are correctly defined, we test each assembly by checking the spin directions using the Reverse checkbox in the Mates Property Manager if necessary. We ensure that the gear teeth do not mesh correctly – this can be achieved by adding parallel (or angle) mates between reference planes on the gears and reference planes on the assembly.
We create another group of mates to position the gear teeth correctly, grouping them into a folder for future reference. By creating parallel (or angle) mates between reference planes on the gears and reference planes on the assembly, we can ensure precise alignment.
To demonstrate the three primary drive types of our planetary gear system – Ring Gear Fixed, Sun Gear Fixed, and Carrier Fixed – we create separate configurations for each scenario. Before fixing any component in place, we ensure that the alignment mates are unsuppressed. By right-clicking on a component and selecting “Fixed” (or other configuration options), we customize our assembly for testing.
We rotate the planetary gears by the carrier shafts to observe the motion of our system in action.
By following these steps, you have successfully set up a comprehensive planetary gear assembly in SOLIDWORKS that showcases the three primary drive types of this system. Remember to suppress and unsuppress alignments as needed to ensure precise gear alignment. For more information on other SOLIDWORKS features or to learn more about Hawk Ridge Systems, visit our website today.
Hawk Ridge Systems is your trusted partner for SOLIDWORKS training and support. We offer comprehensive guides, industry applications, and expert services to help you unlock the full potential of your mechanical designs. Visit our website to explore these resources further and contact us today to learn more about our team and services.