In motion control, a gearhead is a small precision reducer, often planetary, that mounts directly to a servo or stepper motor to multiply torque and match inertia, rated by ratio, torque and backlash in arc-minutes. In general speech it is an enthusiast obsessed with engines, drivetrains and machines. Both senses are heard in the same building.
Spec a ten-to-one planetary gearhead with under five arc-minutes of backlash, or the axis will hunt at standstill.
Also heard as
- precision gearhead
- servo reducer
Related terms
Planetary gear set
A compact gear arrangement of a central sun, orbiting planets on a carrier and an outer ring gear.
Backlash
The play between mating teeth: how far one gear can rock before its teeth contact the other gear's teeth.
Box
Shop shorthand for a gearbox, reducer or transmission, as in the box is whining or pull the box.