WMH Herion and VOGEL Antriebstechnik - 2GETHER IN MOTION

With their innovative rack and pinion drive, Wilhelm Vogel GmbH and WMH Herion Antriebstechnik GmbH are achieving a new dimension in linear technology together. Through their cooperation, the two drive specialists are combining top-class components to achieve maximum product and process quality. The partners are presenting their complete system for the first time at the Automatica 2012 in Munich.

Their product qualities complement each other perfectly. VOGEL and WMH Herion are using their companies' synergies to offer their customers optimally tuned rack and pinion drives. Both drive specialists are starting their cooperation with two different quality versions. The convincing features of the combination of low-backlash planetary gearboxes, high-precision pinions and toothed racks are extremely high precision and energy efficiency as well as a long service life. The rack and pinion make both smooth acceleration and the precise positioning of even extremely heavy tooling machinery gantries possible in the µm range. The high-performance system can be used in a wide range of different branches from drive and automation technology through tool machinery construction, robotics and handling to use in plastic, foil and woodworking machinery.

The demands made on gearboxes have been steadily increasing all over the world over the past few years. "Our customers are demanding higher and higher degrees of precision, durability and power density," says Volker Uhlmann, Managing Partner at VOGEL. Both companies, VOGEL and WMH Herion, were on the lookout for a suitable partner company. "Because the market is looking for complete systems. Following a careful search, the high quality of products and similar company policy brought us together," explains Claude Herion, owner and managing director of WMH Herion. The Swabian-Bavarian joint venture has developed rack and pinion drives with top-quality components using their expertise and know-how.

"At the heart of the development was the joint search for the optimum combination of different design sizes and torque ranges for the gearboxes and the perfectly matching pinions and toothed racks," says Jens-Peter Horn, Head of Development at VOGEL Antriebstechnik. The low-backlash planetary gearboxes from VOGEL combine maximum flexibility with high power density, make high torque transmission possible in the tightest of spaces and guarantee a sturdy and efficient machine drive. The outstanding features of the pinions from WMH Herion are their high precision, load-bearing capacity and smooth running. They are reliable power transmitters - even in permanent operation. The WMH toothed racks are precision-ground and allow the high-precision translation of rotational movement of the pinion into linear movement. The compact complete system stands out on account of its highly accurate positioning and maximum feed performance, high system rigidity and reduced installation effort.

In order to achieve the most economical solution for customers, the rack and pinion drives are available in two versions: precision and high-precision, in respectively different versions. The precision MPRN gearboxes with keyway connection on the output shaft and standard backlash combine a toothed rack in 6h25 quality with a pinion in 7e25 quality. They have become established on the market thanks to their economic efficiency. Other advantages result from the precise and centred seat of the hub and straightforward installation. The high-precision MPRW gearboxes with toothed shaft connection on the output shaft stand out with a maximum of 1 to 3 angular minutes on account of the reduced backlash in particular. The splined shaft connections transmit the torque efficiently and make reversing operation possible. The toothed shaft profile DIN 5480 is used, adapted to the high quality of the gearboxes, pinions and toothed racks. The output pinions in quality 5e24 stand out through maximum linear rigidity and precision. "We are particularly proud of the high-grade and precision-ground toothed rack in quality 5h23," explains Reinhard Weber, Head of Development at WMH Herion. It reveals lower tolerances and higher evenness and ensures high-precision work in the complete system and thus smooth, efficient process workflows.

With their practice-oriented assortment, WMH Herion and VOGEL Antriebstechnik cover a wide range of common requirements. The high-quality, perfectly matched components form a rack and pinion drive which has been designed for precision, efficiency and a long service life. Customers can choose between a pre-assembled or modular system. With the plug & move solution, users receive the rack and pinion drive with the pinion pre-mounted on the gearbox output shaft. The advantage of this is the resulting minimum installation effort and fast initial operation. In contrast, when the modular system is ordered, the linear drive is delivered as individual components - gearbox with pinion and toothed rack. The individual parts are quickly configured into the complete system. In addition, WMH Herion and VOGEL Antriebstechnik develop individual customer-specific solutions for special applications.