Hub City & IBT

Hub City Inc. has unveiled a new high-efficiency gear reducer that offers significant energy savings and bolt-in mounting provisions to replace industrial worm gearboxes.

Image courtesy of Hub City

Worm gear reducers are mechanical drive train components used to reduce shaft speed and increase torque in thousands of industrial applications. Typical uses include conveyors, mixers, food processing equipment, hoists, augers, packaging equipment, and many others.

Although worm gearing offers an economical means of torque multiplication, it is naturally inefficient due to sliding friction between the gearing components. The extra power it takes to overcome friction is lost in the form of heat, severely degrading the operating efficiency of the gearbox. So, while inexpensive to purchase, they are very costly to operate.

The new patent-pending HERA (High Efficiency Right Angle) gear reducer is a drop-in replacement for worm gearing that exhibits 90% operating efficiency, which means it converts power from an electric motor (high-speed, low-torque) into usable mechanical power (low-speed, high-torque) with only a 10% energy loss. This figure is staggering compared to traditional worm reducers which can rob a rotating system of up to 50% of its power. The bottom line is...HERA can provide the same amount of work as worm gearing, with half the energy.

When paired with an electric motor, it actually allows the motor to work less while HERA delivers more power. In many applications, the total energy requirement is reduced enough to permit motor down-sizing, which results in lower procurement costs and additional efficiency gains.

Image courtesy of Hub City

"This product is extremely versatile, and can save manufactures hundreds of thousands of dollars over a year," states Jim Campbell, Vice President/General Manager of Hub City, "This new technology pays for itself in no time."

Energy losses are inherent in all power train systems. Each element in the system wastes at least a little bit of energy, the bulk of which is caused by friction. This lost energy manifests itself as heat and is of no value to the mechanical system. Efficiency losses are like leaks in a garden hose; the electrical controls leak some, the motor leaks some, the gearbox leaks some, bearings leak some... The challenge for the system designer or owner is to minimize these energy -leaks- in order to maximize the value of their operation. HERA can reduce the gearbox component of these losses by as much as 80%!

Hub City, along with representatives from one of their distributors recently conducted an audit of a large beverage food processing company. The audit concluded that a plant-wide conversion from worm reducers to HERA would save approximately $300,000 in energy annually, and the cost of the conversion would be recouped in 4 months.

"The real beauty of our new HERA product," says Simon Odland, New Product Development Manager at Hub City, "is that it can literally be dropped into existing systems with no conversion. Remove the worm reducer, install HERA with four bolts, and you instantly reduce your operating cost. Also, with HERA's increased torque density and modular conversion kits, one size can replace up to four worm reducer models, making it a great play for companies looking to simplify their maintenance inventory."

Because HERA also has a higher torque density than worm gear products, which means it can safely transmit more torque in the same package size, it offers other benefits as well. Whether installing in a new system or replacing a worn-out worm reducer, HERA users now have the option to select the product based on either physical size or torque rating. Select the physical size you need and you get a tougher, longer lasting gearbox. Select it for its torque capabilities, and you get a smaller, lighter, often more economical package.

Not only is it more efficient and more powerful, it's also more versatile. High torque density significantly broadens the range of practical applications for each model size, and Hub City has developed a series of modular conversion hardware that allows four HERA models to cover a market currently held by eleven industry-standard worm reducer sizes. Add in the modular output shafting and a host of other options, and you can literally consolidate thousands of worm reducer products into a small sample of HERA gearboxes and a handful of accessories.

Is HERA right for everyone? "We can't imagine any company, government facility or OEM, not wanting to conserve energy and reduce costs," states Campbell, "the US needs HERA, now more than ever."

"In recent years, much attention has been placed on improving the efficiency of electric motors, but the bulk of the activity seems to ignore the fact that many of these premium-efficiency motors are driving a worm reducer that's robbing them of precious power and energy. High-efficiency motors are a fantastic way to improve operating efficiency, but there's typically a much larger opportunity just a few inches away," says Odland.

Why HERA?

• Up to 40% more efficient than standard worm gearing
• Dimensionally interchangeable to up to 4 sizes of worm drives
• Available with a variety of Marathon Premium Efficiency motors for even more energy savings (recommended)
• Increased Torque Density and Efficiency allow for downsizing of units and motors
• Filled with PAG460 premium synthetic lubricant for enhanced efficiency (Meets USDA H1)
• Viton Double Lip Seals protect against leaks at higher temperatures
• Longer life expectancy than that of standard worm gearing
• Rapid payback - Up to $550 savings per year with each increment of motor hp

HERA is available to the global market. Contact IBT for additional information.