Bauer Gear Motor, an aircraft engine manufacturer needed a robust replacement gear drive for use on a large plasma welding turntable. The table’s 12 ft. diameter bed rotates and tilts to accommodate various sized parts. The bed is laser-aligned to ensure precise angles are established for accurate welds. The problem was that the original competitor worm gearbox’s backlash allowed the welding bed to slip occasionally, causing the weld to be misaligned. The inability of the old gearbox to consistently hold the welding turntable in place created costly rework and reduced productivity.
After a review of the welding turntable requirements, Bauer engineers designed a modified BK70 gearbox. Compact BK Series units feature helical gearing for increased torque capacity. BK models provide robust, backlash-free performance, which was critical for this demanding application.
A custom adapter was integrated into the design to allow fast and easy mounting directly to the table’s servo motor drive.
