The Gearbox Guide for an Optimized Drive Train

In the fast-evolving world of product technology, development, and manufacturing, it's crucial for the OEMs of mobile equipment to maintain a competitive edge and meet the ever-increasing demands of their applications. But doing so can be a significant challenge when multiple suppliers are involved in the supply of products that are intended to be complementary, such as gearboxes and motors. Different manufacturers have different specification levels, and product ranges do not necessarily mesh neatly. Mismatched products or specification gaps between a gearbox and a motor or pump can cause conflicts, leading to operational problems and production delays, ultimately draining profitability.

In mobile applications, the drive train is one application where performance degradation can quickly become a real-world result of capacity constraints and poorly aligned operational ranges of gearboxes. Finding a complementary set of products can be a difficult task that may include the chores of vetting and researching specification sheets and performance graphs. Fortunately, there is a complete package solution that solves this challenge for Mobile OEMs.

In this episode of Evolution in Controls, special guest Scott Moss, Sales Product Manager Gear Transmission Units at Bosch Rexroth, joins host Tim Wilson to discuss Rexroth's complete drive train solution for hydraulic and electric drives and the importance of perfectly matching gearboxes, motors, and pumps. With over 25 years of experience with mobile equipment and power transmissions, Scott explains the importance of a gearbox in a drive train system, emphasizing the gearbox's ability to allow the motor to work in its most efficient state.

Since the gearbox significantly affects how well the rest of the drive train performs, it's essential that the gearbox perfectly matches the motor and pump. While this feat may be difficult to achieve, Scott assures that Rexroth has the tools, resources, and expertise needed to match gearboxes to motors. Bosch Rexroth has been manufacturing gearboxes since 1955, and now they feature four gearbox sizes that range in output torque: travel drives, winch drives, swing drives, and the eGFZ electric drive.

These gearboxes are a part of the Rexroth eLION portfolio, which features complete system solutions for electric and hybrid vehicles and machinery, and each variation is compatible with both hydraulic and electric drive trains. Leveraging its extensive expertise and technological resources, explains Scott, allows Rexroth to always find the right gearbox, pump, and motor configuration, tweaking the motor's displacement to match the ratios of the gearboxes to provide the required torque for the application at hand.

With Morrell Group, Rexroth makes the gearbox selection process collaborative as we work to gather the appropriate application information to size the gearbox and set the complete system correctly. Scott adds that by 2024, Rexroth will begin gearbox production in North America, which will significantly reduce lead time and transportation costs.

With the electrification of mobile equipment sweeping the market, it's essential that drive trains have appropriately matching gearboxes, motors, and pumps. You can learn more about Bosch Rexroth gearboxes on our Planetary Gear Drives page or by going to https://www.boschrexroth.com/en/dc/.