In order to effectively transmit power from a driver to other mechanical components, it is necessary to use a gear motor drive. Also known as a gearbox or gear train, these drives usually comprise two or more gears and shafts that aid in transmitting the power throughout a mechanical system. Evidently, depending on the types of gears used, there will be a massive difference in the type of drive, as the meshing properties will vary drastically. With this knowledge in mind, here are the 3 most common types of drives that are used in a majority of machinery. 

3 well-known gear motor drive systems

Parallel Gear Drives

As the name suggests, parallel gear drives predominantly use shafts that are mounted on a parallel axis. Spur gears, helical gears, and herringbone gears are commonly used for these gear drives. Due to their simplistic design, they have a very high power transmission efficiency. However, their only downside is their size, for positioning of the shafts and requirement of large gears makes it impossible to make them compact. 

Right-Angle Gear Drives

When compared to parallel gear drives, right-angle gear drives feature shafts that are mounted perpendicularly to one another. In most drives of this nature, the output shaft is present on both sides of the arrangement. Due to the complex nature of the set-up, right-angle gear drives predominantly use bevel gears of the straight, spiral or Zerol kind. Although bevel gears are harder to manufacture, and thereby raise the production cost of this drive, it is still highly useful in scenarios where space is a major constraint. 

Inline Gear Drives

Inline gear drives are used in cases where the drive is required to produce significant torque without altering the position of the gear shaft. This is possible with the help of these types of gear drives due to the alignment of input and output shafts on the same axis. Inline gear drives are particularly advantageous because they use simple gears like spur and helical, but also provide compactness without increasing the production costs.

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