Precautions for Installation, Use, and Maintenance of Reducers

As a crucial component in modern industrial manufacturing, reducers not only have wide-ranging applications but also receive significant attention from customers regarding their use and maintenance. Standardized operation and proper maintenance can significantly extend the service life of reducers, maximize their performance, reduce enterprise operational costs, and help enterprises achieve cost reduction and efficiency improvement. Below are the recommendations for the use and maintenance of reducers provided by EED transmission.

Installation Phase

Concentricity Calibration: The coaxiality error between the input/output shaft and the drive/load end must be ≤ 0.05mm (detected using a laser alignment instrument) to avoid early bearing failure due to vibration.

Rigid Fixation: The flatness of the base mounting surface should be ≤ 0.1mm/m. Use high-strength bolts of grade 8.8 or higher (e.g., per ISO 898-1 standard) to prevent displacement during operation.

Heat Dissipation Space: Reserve a heat dissipation distance of ≥ 30cm, and ensure the ambient temperature is ≤ 40°C (≤ 35°C for precision reducers).

Operation Phase

Load Control: Strictly prohibit operation beyond the rated torque (e.g., for RV reducers, instantaneous overload ≤ 150% and duration ≤ 2 minutes).

Start-Stop Specifications: In high-frequency start-stop scenarios (e.g., robot joints), the number of cycles per minute must be ≤ 10 to avoid fatigue fracture of the flexspline in harmonic reducers.

Direction Restriction: Worm gear reducers are prohibited from reverse driving (failure of self-locking characteristics may cause equipment).

Core Maintenance Points (Phased Maintenance)

Daily Maintenance (Daily/Weekly)

Vibration and Noise Monitoring: Use a sound level meter for detection. Stop operation for inspection if abnormal noise (≥ 75dB) or vibration acceleration (≥ 4m/s²) occurs.

Oil Level Check: After stopping, let the reducer stand for 30 minutes. The oil level in the sight glass should be maintained between 1/2 and 2/3 (refuel if below 1/3).

Seal Confirmation: Check that there is no leakage from the shaft seal and joint surfaces (a leakage rate of ≤ 1 drop/minute is acceptable).

Regular Maintenance (Every 3-6 Months or 2000 Hours)

Lubricant Replacement (Critical)

Gear/planetary reducers: Recommended oil is ISO VG 220 extreme pressure gear oil, replacement cycle 2000-4000 hours.

RV reducers: Recommended lubricant is lithium-based grease (NLGI Grade 2), replacement cycle 6 months.

Harmonic reducers: Recommended lubricant is fluorine grease (e.g., KYODO YUSHI), replacement cycle 12 months.

Filter Cleaning/Replacement: Replace the oil filter when the differential pressure ≥ 0.3MPa (to avoid poor lubrication due to oil circuit blockage).

In-Depth Maintenance (Every 2 Years or 8000 Hours)

Gear Wear Detection: During disassembly inspection, ensure pitting area on gear teeth ≤ 5% and spalling ≤ 2mm² (replace gears if exceeding standards).

Bearing Clearance Adjustment: Control the axial clearance of tapered roller bearings to 0.05-0.1mm (preload if clearance is excessive).

Electrical Insulation Test: For systems with frequency converters, the insulation resistance of motor windings to ground should be ≥ 100MΩ (test with a 500V megohmmeter).

Maintenance Requirements for Industry-Specific Scenarios

Industrial Robots (RV/Harmonic Reducers)

Calibrate the zero position every 6 months (to eliminate cumulative error of backlash).

Prohibit direct blowing of the reducer with compressed air (dust ingress may cause tooth surface wear).

Wind Turbine Gearboxes (Planetary-Parallel Shaft Structure)

Use synthetic gear oil (ISO VG 320), and test oil moisture content annually to ensure it is ≤ 500ppm.

During on-tower maintenance, the torque wrench accuracy must reach ±3% (insufficient bolt preload may cause tooth damage).

Food and Pharmaceutical Equipment

Select NSF H1-certified food-grade lubricants to avoid contamination.

Do not use strong acid/alkali solvents for cleaning (to prevent corrosion of aluminum alloy housings).

Smart Operation and Maintenance Upgrade Recommendations

Install IoT sensors: Real-time monitoring of oil temperature, vibration spectrum, and torque load to predict faults (e.g., issue warnings when bearing fault characteristic frequencies BPFO/BPFI appear).

Establish a digital twin model: Input operational data (e.g., load curves, ambient temperature) to simulate life attenuation and optimize maintenance cycles.

Finally, EED transmission reminds you to keep complete maintenance records (including oil type, replacement time, and test data). For high-end reducers, it is recommended that maintenance be performed by certified engineers from the original manufacturer.