custom gearboxes

When you partner with WM Berg you’ll get a gearbox customized to meet the precise needs of your application including size, materials and speed/backlash specifications.

Our custom gearboxes offer many different types, shaft diameters, output torques and special gear unit configurations in concentric (inline) and right angle styles, in inches or metric.

Anti-backlash gears (output end) and an included slip clutch (input end) available on request. Gearboxes can be foot mounted or designed without feet for shaft mounting.

Customize Gearboxes by Application

Custom gearboxes (aka gear drives) are used in a variety of environments due to their ability to efficiently transmit mechanical energy to an output device while modifying the speed, direction and torque. 

WM Berg manufactures a complete line of custom engineered gearboxes to accommodate virtually all precision assembly requirements and operating conditions within the aerospace, healthcare and motion control industries.

Examples of Berg’s precision gearbox customization capabilities include: 

• Customized gear drive to reduce speed & increase torque for robotic surgery equipment used in hip & knee replacements
• Customized gearbox to raise & lower a vertical tower in a very small package size for a new product line, meeting performance requirements for portability, height, rigidity & ease of use
• Customized gear drive system for a small radar antenna mounted on airborne & ground-based vehicles requiring precise rotational control of the antenna while vehicle is in motion
• Custom gearbox for mobile robotics application requiring whisper-quiet performance

Our engineers have answers for your custom gearbox questions across a range of topics, including spec requirements, application objectives and precision part installation. Contact Berg online for technical and application support.

Custom Planetary Gearboxes

A planetary gearbox is a type of inline gearbox made using an internal spur gear design, typically used in applications requiring higher torque. Planetary gearbox customization options involve adapting the gear types, bearings and installation dimensions. Common applications requiring custom planetary gearboxes include:

• Adjusting the height of operating tables with high positioning accuracy, smoothness & noise minimization
• Motion control applications involving AGV (automated guided vehicles) with weight & size restrictions
• Motion control scenarios requiring high bending rigidity & high absorption of axial/radial loads
• Industrial applications requiring high positioning accuracy including printing, packaging & robotics

Custom worm Gearboxes

Worm and worm wheel gear boxes are used in applications where enhanced speed reduction is required between non-intersecting shafts (shafts that cross, but not on the same plane). Worm gear drives are ideal for applications requiring smooth operation and minimal noise. Applications requiring a custom worm gearbox include:

• Servo & stepper motor drivers
• Small general machinery
• Conveyors
• Rotary printing presses

Custom helical Gearboxes

Helical gearboxes can reduce speed and increase torque between parallel and right-angle shafts, making them extremely versatile. Helical gearboxes are also efficient, and very durable since the load is distributed among several teeth. Common use cases for custom helical gearboxes include:

• High-speed motor applications
• High friction & high cycle rate applications requiring increased wear resistance
• Applications suitable for spur gears, but with non-parallel shafts
• General purpose applications including conveyors, cutters, compressors, blowers & more

Custom Servo Gearboxes

Servo mount gearboxes offer high rigidity and efficiency, and are able to improve responsiveness by reducing the reflected load inertia while increasing torque output. Using a servomotor gearbox can save money by reducing the motor size, torque and current rating requirements. Applications for custom servo gearboxes include:

• Automated packaging machines
• Conveyor systems
• Precision gantry systems such as pick-and-place machines & 3D printers 
• Servo-driven injection molding machinery

Custom Miter Gearboxes

Miter gearboxes are ideal for transferring power efficiently between right-angle shafts, and are often used in systems that require changing the drive direction while maintaining speed. Applications requiring a custom miter gearbox include:

• Application scenarios requiring efficient power transfer at the rated load
• Low-speed applications such as door-opening mechanisms
• High-speed applications such as weed trimmers
• General machinery such as assembly line & packaging equipment

Custom Bevel Gearboxes

Bevel gearboxes are right-angle gear drives used to transmit, distribute, and/or split power between two intersecting drive shafts. Bevel gearboxes are most commonly used to change the rotation direction of a drive shaft, and they can also modify speed and torque (unlike miter gearboxes, which can only change direction). Bevel gearboxes offer much greater efficiency than worm gearboxes for right-angle power transmission. Use cases for custom bevel gearboxes include:

• Printing presses
• Helicopter power transmission systems
• Aircraft accessory drives
• Machine & hand tools such as drills & sanders
• Automated production lines where one motor drives multiple devices