What Is an ABLE Reducer?
An ABLE reducer is a product name for servo motor reducers, including two main product lines: the ABLE series with concentric shafts and the ABLE series with orthogonal and hollow shafts.
ABLE reducers are known for their quiet operation, lightweight, and compact design. They are among the most well-known products in their category, largely due to the extremely short lead time from order to delivery.
Uses of ABLE Reducers
ABLE reducers are designed for use with servo motors and are therefore found in devices that utilize servo motors. These include printing presses, foundry robots, packaging machines (both vertical and horizontal pillow types), dispenser robots, turret heads, conveyor belts, automatic boxers, and loader robots.
Servo motors, essential for industrial robots, allow for precise control over rotational position and speed. They are critical in factory automation equipment, including semiconductor and LCD manufacturing devices, where precise positioning is necessary, often requiring the use of reduction gears.
Principle of ABLE Reducers
ABLE reducers combine a servo motor with a reducer for several reasons, such as achieving the required torque and controlling rotation speeds. Without a reducer, a larger servo motor and controller would be necessary for these tasks. However, using a speed reducer allows a smaller servo motor to generate greater torque and maintain appropriate rotation speeds without a control device.
Servo motors, therefore, often require a reduction gear. The coaxial ABLE Reducer uses planetary gear reducers, while the orthogonal shaft and hollow shaft types utilize hypoid gears, bevel gears, and worm gears.
Structure of ABLE Reducers
ABLE reducers, compatible with servo motors from multiple manufacturers, use planetary gear trains in the concentric shaft type, aligning the servomotor and output shaft. By combining one or two sets of planetary gear trains, the desired reduction ratio is achieved on the same shaft.
A planetary gear train includes a sun gear at the center, a planetary carrier surrounding the sun gear, and a ring or internal gear encircling these components. The planetary carrier holds three or more pinions that rotate and orbit between the sun gear and the ring gear, resembling the movement of planets, hence the name.
In a planetary gear train, fixing one element and rotating another causes the third element to rotate differently, enabling deceleration, acceleration, and direction reversal. By combining multiple planetary gear trains, a wide range of reduction and acceleration ratios can be achieved, making it suitable for high torque applications and widely used in automatic transmissions for automobiles. ABLE reducers leverage this mechanism to offer large reduction ratios in a compact form factor.
Types of ABLE Reducers
ABLE reducers are categorized into concentric shaft, orthogonal shaft, and hollow shaft types, each available in multiple series based on the application. Each category offers various sizes, allowable torques, and reduction ratios.