Plastic gearbox

The gearbox technology

Gearboxes are used to adapt the speed and torque of motors so that they are suitable for the specific requirements of machines and processes.

Our drygear® gearboxes made of high-performance plastic: lubrication-free, lightweight and impact-resistant

All igus® plastic gearboxes are modular; they can be extended as required and integrated into existing systems.
The drygear® gearboxes are especially popular for robot arms used in quality control or sorting. Gearboxes also come into play with rotary axes or sliding applications, pusher applications or format adjustments.
Our gearboxes are the ideal solution for various automation processes.

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What you will find on this page

Gearbox solutions at a glance

Versatile and flexible applications with modular gearboxes

Strain wave gear

Compact, quiet and efficient
Areas of application: precise motion transmission, low torques
Suitable for: small robot arms

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Worm gear

Areas of application: high torques, slow movement, secure position holding
Suitable for: conveyor technology, robotics, lifting systems, part-turn actuators

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Rotary axis with motor

Compact and easy to install
Areas of application: 360° movement
Suitable for: turntables for assembly applications, camera panning in photography

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Apiro® the modular gearbox system

Modular lightweight design
Areas of application: wide range of requirements, flexibility in design
Suitable for: automation, robotics, industry, manual and motorised drives

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Planetary gearbox

High transmission ratios
Areas of application: high torques in a compact design
Suitable for: CNC machines, robotics, packaging machines

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Other gearboxes and drive components

Discover our wide range of high-quality solutions for industrial systems and robotics applications.

Optimise the performance of your application with our gearbox technology!

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Advantages of the drygear® gearbox technology

Cost-effective

Manufacturing with injection moulding or 3D printing guarantees cost efficiency and creates the geometrical freedom to optimise use of installation space. The flexible modular system allows the gearboxes to be expanded as desired and integrated into existing systems

Ideas for automation using modular gearbox systems

Lubrication and maintenance-free

drygear® gearbox technology uses plastic gears made of high-performance polymers. The gearboxes require no external lubricants, so they are resistant to dirt. No maintenance is necessary, so associated costs are eliminated.

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Sustainable

Our gearboxes require not a single drop of lubricating oil. This benefits not only our users, but also the environment. Our tribologically optimised materials also generate less abrasion, which means less energy is needed.

More about sustainability in plastics

Quiet

Thanks to motion plastics®, drygear® plastic gearboxes impress with ultra-light materials. This results in much less noise and vibration. For you as an operator, plastic gears - for example in robots - lead to an application that is up to four times quieter.

Temperature-resistant

Gearboxes that function reliably in either particularly warm or cold environments? The drygear® gearbox technology products can withstand almost all conditions. We also have gearboxes and motors in our product range that are suitable for extreme temperatures from -30°C to +180°C.

Tested and proven

Around 50 in-house drygear® test stations are available for individual customer tests. We also test our gearboxes daily for active research and development.

Information material
Would you like information material for format adjustment in the beverage and packaging industry?

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Application examples for gearbox technology

VW Golf production at a 1:18 scale for trainees

In their vocational training at Volkswagen AG in Wolfsburg, Germany, trainees from various departments work on simulating VW Golf delivery at a 1:18 scale.
The smart factory consists of twelve individual stations that, when pushed together, form two parallel production lines.

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Format adjustment in the packaging industry

Successful use of the conveyor belt with drygear® Apiro® gearboxes

How innovative technology handles the challenges of transporting food packaging and allows flexible format adjustment for product channelling with igus® drygear® Apiro® gearboxes.

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Low-cost components for astrophotography

Strong, precise 3D-printed gearbox.
vhw Digitalart has developed a device that compensates for the Earth's rotation in order to image celestial bodies in their real form. The requirements for the plastic gearbox were a rotation of 360 degrees in exactly 24 hours, enough load capacity to support the camera and its lens, and high individual component strength and abrasion resistance.

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low-maintenance gearbox solution and energy supply systems in an ice cream vending machine

The sec°mat IC One, made by Bochum-based Seco Manufaktur, turns the sales process into an event. The next-generation ice cream vending machine features our Apiro robot kinematics, not only for durable, low-maintenance operation, but also for user experience.

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More application examples

Here you will find many more application examples from our customers from all industries. Discover applications in which igus® plastic gearbox solutions have already been used.

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Assembly in minutes and simple replacement of gearboxes

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Contact details

Seán Ryan086 0329555 Submit form

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