Solutions in Motion™

W.C. Branham President and CEO Troy Branham introduces our pneumatic actuator line, specifically our new DURATRK™ slot tube style rodless cylinders in this edition of Solutions in Motion.

A lot can go wrong with air cylinders, and when any problem could lead to downtime, damage, or equipment failure, troubleshooting each issue can get complicated. Preventive maintenance can keep air cylinders running at optimum performance levels and reveal telltale signs that you might need to repair them. Look for these six telltale signs you may need air cylinder repairs.

When designing a custom solution, mitigating risk and margin for error is critical. One mistake and the fallout in expense can be substantial. This is why prototyping is a common practice in manufacturing. It allows manufacturers the ability to assess, qualify, and minimize risk. But if you need to justify the expense of prototyping, it’s worthwhile to weigh the advantages of prototyping against the associated costs.

Every part in a complex machine presents a chance for failure, especially if they're not designed or maintained properly. Sometimes the simplest parts get overlooked. A right angle gearbox needs less attention than many more complex parts, but it still can bind, grind or fail without proper lubrication.

Most often, helical gears are associated with transmissions in the automotive industry. But they can also be used across many different industries, and are a good substitute for the commonly utilized spur gears — especially if noise is a factor.

Noise control is just one of the advantages of using a helical gearbox design in your application, but it's far from the only one. Here are some other benefits of helical gearboxes.

What is a fail-safe brake and when are they most commonly used?

In this video, W.C. Branham's VP of Engineering and General Manager, Chad Randleman, will walk you through the basic functions of fail-safe brakes and their most common applications. Enjoy!

In this video W.C. Branham’s Chad Randleman answers some of the most common questions we receive regarding right angle gearboxes.

If you’re in the market for a right angle gearbox, you need to find a high quality gearbox supplier. But how can you determine whether someone is the “right” gearbox supplier? Here are a few tips to keep in mind:

Look at their Past Work

Do they have a website? If so, check to see who they’ve worked with in the past and what they’ve accomplished.  If the work they’ve done in the past lines up with the requirements of your application, they might be the “right” gearbox supplier for you. Be sure to also check their reviews online, if they have any!

W.C. Branham was industry-first with right angle hollow bore helical gearboxes that package an all ball bearing configuration in a leak-proof, sealed gearcase with a pre-lubricated design. The immediate benefits were achieving higher thrust and radial loads, lower operating temperature for greater efficiency, no leakage, and longer service life.

Right angle gearboxes are useful across a broad range of industrial applications. To choose the best gearbox(es) for your design, you’ll need to consider size, capability, mounting, and environmental requirements.

All of these factors affect sizing and selection of right-angle gearboxes:

• Input speed and horsepower
• Target output speed, or output torque (this helps determine gear ratio requirements)
• Service characteristics, such as how many hours per day the gearbox will operate and whether it will need to withstand vibration and/or shock
• Overhung loads, axial loads, and external moment loads should be supported by bearing block supports. Unsupported loads can transfer to the internal gears and push them out of alignment and accelerate wear and tear
• Shaft versus hollow-core input (and output)
• Gearing orientation (shafts can protrude vertically or horizontally, and with a right-angle worm gearbox, the worm can be positioned over or under the wheel. If the shaft will protrude downward, you may want to add redundant seals)
• Special-needs working conditions that require stainless-steel shafts and housing or corrosion-resistant paint
• Mounting requirements