Solutions in Motion™

If you need small gearboxes for your industrial application, you’ve come to the right place. W.C. Branham’s new MICROGEAR^TM IASM5 and IASM7 gearboxes are the latest examples of their ongoing commitment to provide precisely the products customers need to fit their applications’ performance requirements and solve design challenges. Watch the video below to see some examples of the industrial challenges these extremely small gearboxes can solve.

Caliper disc brakes are commonly used in a wide variety of industrial applications. With a wealth of component sizes and configuration options available, you can pull together exactly the right set of parts to meet virtually any performance specifications. However, sometimes you can sidestep much of that time and effort by choosing a complete disc brake hub assembly instead. 

It may sound obvious, but industrial equipment that moves also needs to stop. Standard caliper disc brakes that use pneumatic pressure can do the job in many cases, but for certain applications, the spring-applied alternative can be the better choice.

Bevel gears enable us to operate a vast array of machinery, massive or small, so they are indispensable in many industrial applications. A bevel gearbox is particularly useful because, just by the way the components integrate with one another, it can control the speed and amount of power delivered to an output shaft while changing rotational direction. 

Usually a bevel gear is conical in shape. The teeth that come together to drive the gear can be arranged straight up and down, or they can be curved to form a spiral design. Either way, the teeth taper toward the cone’s apex.

When choosing actuators for industrial applications, you have to know the amount of force that will be required to perform the job at hand. Cylinders can move, slow, or hold a load -- rapidly and repeatedly, if needed. The force required depends on the load itself – its weight and movement angle, among other factors. An air cylinder force calculator can help you spec exactly the right actuator for the job. But wherever would you find one of those?

Pneumatic (or air) pressure is a common power source for shops, manufacturers, and other industrial settings. It’s inexpensive, and operating costs are low, it’s easy to use and even portable if need be, and it’s safer and cleaner than hydraulic systems. Still, there are times when you need more power than pneumatics can deliver – especially stopping or gripping power. What to do? The solution is often surprisingly simple – install an air/oil intensifier.

Industrial gearboxes have been around for decades. They are commonplace, especially among industrial applications such as material handling equipment and packaging equipment. Despite this fact, right angle gearboxes are often overlooked as an industrial design option.

Industrial equipment and mobile machines serve a wide variety of purposes, and they work under a wide range of conditions. Regardless of a machine's specific function, however, equipment that moves also has to slow and stop – sometimes repeatedly and frequently. There is a braking system to fit every set of variables. Some are mechanical or pneumatic, but for certain applications (which often require greater braking force), hydraulic brakes are your best choice.

Everyone who drives a car or truck knows something about caliper disc brakes. But this style of brake is overwhelmingly used in manufacturing and other industrial settings. These industrial brakes have the power to slow, stop, and hold loads from lightweight to extremely heavy, precisely and reliably. But don’t let the word “disc” fool you. While caliper brakes are typically used with discs or rotors, the number of linear applications is increasing significantly.

Caliper disc brakes are incredibly versatile. They can slow, hold, and stop very heavy and/or fast-moving units quickly. For this reason, they are well-suited to applications that require high torque, high energy stopping, and/or tensioning. Caliper disc brakes absorb the generated energy of the braking process, then dissipate that energy as heat. Here is an overview of each type of brake and what it does best, to help you in selecting the right kind for your application.