A worm gear, in industrial parlance, is a shaft with a helical thread. It is commonly a part of a gear that meshes with a toothed wheel. Worm gears on the other hand, are those known as worm wheels. Sometime many people are confused with the terms worm gear, worm gear and worm drive, thinking that these three mean the same thing.

Worm gears are important especially when there is a need to reduce the gear size. It is the worm that has the capacity to make the gear rotate and not the other way around. With the shallow angle on the worm, the gear does not have the capacity to rotate it.

Types of worm gear

There are basically three different kinds of worm wheels: the non-throated; single throated; and double throated. Non-throated worm wheels are those that do not have throats in both the worms and the gear. Single throated categories are those whose gears are throated. Lastly, double throated ones are those with throated worms and gears.

worm gear characteristics

There are notable traits of a worm wheel. First, it has the capacity to transfer and carry load with utmost accuracy. It is also best for large speed reductions. The efficiency of the worm gear, however, depends upon installation conditions, the worm's lead angle, sliding speed, surface quality and lubricant selection.

Making worm gears become effective

A process known as double enveloping makes worm gearing become more efficient. This technology enhances the existing features of the worm wheel. This leads to better accuracy and increased torque. What makes the technique so special is the fact that it may be used to produce better lubrication and design while loads are divided in each of the gear's teeth.
Worm gear applications

Worm wheels make conveyor systems do its function. Conveyors are tools to transfer one material from one location to another. Aside from conveyor systems though, the worm wheel may also be used in high performance vehicles.

worm gear is manufactured by way of milling its teeth through the help of a special machine. The entire output is completed according to the size needed by the particular industry. Whenever reducing friction is a concern, lubricants may be used. Examples are compounded mineral oils, extreme pressure mineral gear oils and synthetic worm gear oils. The lubricants will make the work of the machine faster and easier at the same time more efficient.