Planetary gear units for high torque requirements

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March 2025 Motion Control & Drives

Packing a compact design, along with high torque and low-speed outputs, the new SEW PPK and SEW P2.e planetary gear units from SEW-EURODRIVE offer new capabilities in continuous heavy duty applications where space is at a premium.

Speaking directly to SEW-EURODRIVE’s ‘close the loop’ strategy, the arrival of the SEW PPK and SEW P2.e planetary gear opens up a whole new world of possibilities, particularly in heavy duty, challenging operating conditions with high torque and low speed requirements.

Typical applications in the mining industry include crushers, apron feeders, clarifiers and thickeners. Other industrial applications range from screw presses and slewing gears to wood panel shredders, ring pan mixers and batch plants, amongst others.

Edwin Weyers, business development manager for Projects at SEW-EURODRIVE.

“The SEW PPK planetary gear units complement SEW-EURODRIVE’s product line in the torque load range under the proven P-series,” explains Jonathan McKey, national sales and marketing manager at SEW-EURODRIVE. Offering a torque range from 10 to 18 kNm, the SEW PPK covers a gear ratio range from 65 to 390:1. The ratio can be further reduced by adding a primary reducer before the planetary head, allowing for ratios up to 10 650:1 for a much lower speed capability.

Available with torque ratings from 2 to 124 kNm, the SEW P2.e range covers gear ratios from 15,2 to 332:1. While most planetary gearboxes have a three-stage design only, the SEW P2.e can also be supplied in a two-stage model. The SEW P2.e encompasses all the benefits of the SEW PPK, but goes a step further with a broader spectrum of diversity in its speed – up to 100 rpm – as well as in ratio and torque.

“The high strength, durable materials with advanced heat treatment allow the gear units to withstand extreme loads and resist wear, thus making light work of high-torque requirements,” says McKey. “In essence, these planetary gear systems produce high torque by distributing the load across several gears and using gear ratios to multiply the input torque. The efficient and compact design allows for high torque in a relatively small package.”

One of the major talking points is the exceptional thermal limit rating, which is made possible by the integrated fan in the motor interface. The fan aspirates air radially, accelerates it and generates a cooling stream of air with a high flow rate.

“The SEW P2.e is the only planetary gear unit on the market with an integrated fan coupled directly between the motor and the planetary head. Consequently, it boasts a large cooling area (two to four times larger than some of the competitor offerings in this size class) – a condition which is central to the high thermal limit rating. Despite its high power density, the SEW P2.e series therefore boasts a best-in-class thermal limit rating,” explains McKey.

Reduced weight is another major benefit of going the SEW P2.e route. With its lightweight gear unit design, the SEW P2.e is 24% lighter and 10% shorter in length compared with some of the same-sized units on the market.

Given its nearly century experience in developing and constructing gear units for numerous customer applications, SEW-EURODRIVE has over the years amassed vast tribological expertise. Based on this and the results of long-term testing, the company has developed a special formulation for its premium gear unit lubricants.

“By using our premium gear unit lubricants, end users have peace of mind that their investments are protected, as a high level of resistance to ageing reduces wear and increases the service life. Customers can expect up to 50% longer service intervals and a long shelf life of up six years if they are using the special SEW-EURODRIVE approved lubricants and implementing appropriate maintenance conditions,” concludes McKey.

For more information contact SEW-EURODRIVE, +27 11 248 7000, [email protected], www.sew-eurodrive.co.za

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Motion Control & Drives

Planetary gear units for high torque requirements

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