What should you do if your gear reducer is overloaded?

What does it mean for a gear reducer to be overloaded? Let Chihai Motor, a gear reducer manufacturer, explain.

An overload occurs when a gear reducer can rotate, but the operating current exceeds the rated current.

The basic characteristic of a gear reducer overload is that although the current exceeds the rated current, the intensity of the overload is not significant, and it generally does not generate a large inrush current. Once a gear reducer is overloaded, you should investigate the cause and then take appropriate measures to address the overload problem.

1. Check if the gear reducer is overheating.

If the gear reducer temperature rise is not high, first check if the electronic thermal protection function of the soft starter is working. If the inverter has a margin of safety, then release the electronic thermal protection function.

2. Check if the three-phase voltage is balanced on the motor side.

If the three-phase voltage on the gear reducer side is unbalanced, check if the three-phase voltage at the soft starter output is balanced. If it is unbalanced, the problem lies with the soft starter.

3. When the three-phase voltage on the motor side is balanced, the output power at the time of tripping should be determined.

If the gear reducer's output power is low and closed-loop control is not used, first reduce the U/f ratio. If the gear reducer can still drive the load after load reduction, it indicates that the previously predicted U/f ratio was too high, and the self-induced electromotive force is too large. The current can be reduced based on the U/f ratio of the gear oil during load reduction. If the gear reducer does not have a constant load after load reduction, the capacity of the frequency converter should be increased. If the frequency converter has closed-loop control function, the closed-loop control mode should be selected.