Zeitlauf has unveiled a unique new gearhead that could spell the end of the worm gear in certain applications. The EtaCrown delivers high torque in a small profile gearmotor, is almost silent and has incredibly high efficiency.

Key benefits of the new gearmotors are the compact size, high torque and near silent running. They can be flush mounted making them ideal for applications such as door actuation and they will also find many applications in the medical industry and other applications. Unlike worm gearboxes, the losses from the EtaCrown are minimised. For example, the single stage box delivers a staggering 92% efficiency, while even the two stage version gives 80%. A typical worm gear has no better than 50-60% efficiency. There is also no axial displacement between the drive shaft and the geared output shaft. This shaft also has two bearings and hence delivers high radial load capacity.

Gears are almost as fundamental for delivering mechanical advantage as the pulley and the lever, but the EtaCrown represents a breakthrough – albeit from an original design patented shortly after the turn of the last century. In spite of the age-old design, nobody had been able to manufacture the new style of crown gear on which the gearbox relies. Indeed, it took Zeitlauf 10 years of development to perfect the manufacture.

The EtaCrown has power transmitted to its primary spur gear via single or two-stage helical gears made from high strength acetal resin. These run within a helical ring gear and the use of the plastics material is one of the factors in the near silent running of the machine. Options of a metal crown or an acetal resin crown are also offered, both options driven by a metal spur.

It is the geometry of the tooth form on the crown gear that enables the high torque transmission. Each tooth tapers from a 40° angle to 10° moving from the outside edge towards the centre. The crown gear can be fitted with a single shaft, double shaft and a range of options including hollow shafts.

The gearboxes come with reductions from 4:1 with a torque of 1.1Nm up to a 113:1 reduction delivering 10Nm torque. Higher ratio's and torque are available on request. They come as standard equipped with an ebm-papst motor, but can be fitted with all common AC, DC or EC motors.

Released 20-06-07

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