Centa Transmissions can now supply precision face gears
15 April 2011
Centa Transmissions has been appointed UK agent for the CYLKRO range of precision gears and components from ASSAG of Switzerland. ASSAG's precision face gears provide designers with a wide range of specification options. A face gear transmission has an axis angle that can be chosen freely from 0° to 135°, although they are typically configured at 90°. The cylindrical pinion can move freely in the axial direction over the face gear teeth without affecting the contact pattern or backlash.
The face gear design facilitates a wide variety of geometries and the facility to take multiple drives off the face wheel, as well as providing high gear ratios in a single stage. This facilitates an infinite number of capabilities and configurations. Features of CYLKRO include axial freedom of the pinion, free choice of axis angles up to 135° and the ability to mesh multiple power transmissions off a single face gear. Centa Gears division manager, Michael Sykes, explains:
"The benefits of face gears for engineers are that wear and tear is minimised as there are no axial forces on the pinion axis; they are quicker and easier to install than traditional bevel gears and the set only requires adjustment to one face. The contact pattern is unaffected by axial movement of the pinion and it is possible to put more power through with a face gear drive. Additionally, multiple outputs can be taken from a single face, a particular benefit for high precision machine tool applications. This multi mesh option also enables lower cost bearings to be used.
"Car makers, Audi, found that when they specified face gears in the centre differential of the Audi Quattro RS5, they created a highly reliable and robust drive unit, yet reduced the unit weight by 2kg, when compared to a conventional differential! An enviable combination of increased performance and reduced weight benefits for Audi. So successful was this system on the RS5 that all future Audi Quattro models will be fitted with this drive unit."
As well as face gear sets, ASSAG produce complete angular gearboxes and three types are available using standard face gears.
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