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When specifying and selecting a gearmotor, it is critical to know and understand the gearmotor system power, not just the motor power.

Understanding Gearmotor System Power:

Typically gearmotor manufacturers publish the specified motor output power, which most likely does not accurately convey the actual gearmotor output power. A gearmotor is, quite obviously, a motor combined with a gearbox (or speed reducer) to achieve the desired output specifications of speed, power and torque. When specifying or selecting a gearmotor for an OEM application, relying on the published motor power specification (HP) alone can be deceiving. To achieve a truly optimized gearmotor solution, it is important to know the SYSTEM output power. The SYSTEM output power represents the resulting gearmotor power after calculating the efficiency of the motor, AND the efficiency of the gearbox.

"The published motor output power basically makes the gearmotor specification look better than it really is," said Ron Didier, VP-Engineering at Groschopp. "The gearmotor System Power specifications on the Groschopp website take into consideration the efficiency of the gearbox and factor that into the overall System Power rating so that a truly accurate SYSTEM power specification is available for designers to make accurate comparisons."

Understanding the System Power and knowing the efficiency ratings of the motor and gearbox separately also gives the engineer/ designer important data to make comparisons. For example, comparing the efficiencies of a planetary gearmotor to a parallel shaft gearmotor allows product choices to be made based on overall efficiency, performance and cost – and thus optimize the application/solution. "With OEM applications this is particularly critical," added Didier. "Oversizing or more likely, undersizing the gearmotor at OEM volumes can be costly in terms of overall product life, premature failure, poor performance and the resulting expense."

How to get Gearmotor System Power:

When selecting a gearmotor, determine if the published Power or Output Power specification is for the motor only, or if this specification also includes the gearbox/speed reducer efficiency. The gearmotor vendor should be able to provide both motor and gearbox efficiency ratings, and if not calculated as System Power, you can calculate the gearmotor System Power by multiplying motor output power by the appropriate gearbox efficiency.

Resources:

Groschopp's gearmotor power specifications are published as System Power and represent the true gearmotor output power, including gearbox efficiency in the specification calculation.