Solutions in Motion™

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. 

The worm gearbox is an effective compact mechanical solution to reducing speed or increasing torque in many industrial settings. It can help with engineering challenges around rotational speed and torque. Another benefit is the gearing system inside a worm gearbox is self-locking by nature. A worm gearbox gets its name from the screw-shaped shaft that drives it and how that interacts with the wheel gear is where the magic happens. 

Stainless steel is unsurpassed when it comes to durability - making it a great choice in harsh environments or where heavy industrial cleaning is important. Because of this, stainless steel gearboxes, actuators, and brakes are often used in food and beverage processing and packaging, medical manufacturing for equipment and pharmaceuticals, and chemical processing facilities. 

When you’re trying to decide which type of brake is best for your particular application (such as mechanical, pneumatic, or hydraulic brakes), it’s important to understand both the reasons for braking and the differences in the types of caliper disc brakes available for industrial equipment and on- and off-road braking applications.

Caliper disc brakes come in many sizes and types, depending on your needs. W.C. Branham is proud to offer a wide range of industrial and vehicular caliper disc brakes – more than 300 possible model configurations. From active pneumatic and active hydraulic to lever mechanical actuated and spring applied brakes, you can customize disc brakes for your application. The key to success is proper sizing.

When your industrial design calls for linear movement, you might want to use hydraulic actuators. There are definite advantages to using a fluid-powered actuator, but that doesn’t mean they are right for every purpose. It all comes down to the requirements of your specific application. So, when should you choose hydraulic linear actuators?

Industrial applications are typically complex. At W.C. Branham, Inc., we deliberately design our products with a multitude of configuration options because customers need an exact fit for their application. We design, build and sell our own products, but often our customer’s full scope of needs goes beyond our line of fluid power and power transmission. That’s why, for our U.S. customers on the West Coast, we have DJ Reps as a trusted partner.