Ensuring the lifetime of a DC gearmotor with systematic reliability testing
Author : Utpal Rabha, Portescap
31 March 2023
From industrial power tools to surgical robots, a motion solution that delivers high power density in a small package is a common requirement. However, integrating a gearmotor means that an assurance of reliability is crucial.
When the operational life exceeds the duration allowable for testing, a systematic approach to reliability demonstration testing (RDT) can provide OEMs with 95 percent certainty that the gearmotors will meet or exceed their required run time. Here, Utpal Rabha, Lead Engineer at Portescap, explains the RDT procedure.
DC gearmotors are designed to meet the torque requirements of specific tasks, while ensuring compact dimensions. With an assembly of a brush or brushless DC motor, the device combines a gearbox that optimises torque, speed and efficiency requirements. This enables a gearmotor to reduce output speed, while increasing torque to the required level, achieving this with a more compact diameter compared to using a higher-rated individual motor alone.
With the additional gearbox mechanism, it’s imperative that the design of the gearmotor is sufficiently reliable for the duration of its required use. To ensure resilience in real-world conditions, reliability demonstration testing (RDT) is required.
Read the full article in DPA's April issue
Contact Details and Archive...