6 ms·
> brittle plastic gears FWIW, in most cases this is done intentionally not as a cost-saving measure but to improve repairability. It's cheaper and easier to ha
by stouset 3y ago
> brittle plastic gears
FWIW, in most cases this is done intentionally not as a cost-saving measure but to improve repairability. It's cheaper and easier to have a 5¢ nylon gear fail when subjected to out-of-spec loads than to have catastrophic failure of multiple structural parts that happen to be the weakest link in the kinetic chain from the motor.
This does also cause them to fail through regular use, but having to do minor maintenance is a fundamental aspect of operating machines that are designed to be repaired and not simply thrown away.
- Atotalnoob 3y agoDo all of them need to be plastic, or can just one? Typically what I have seen is one gear is plastic and the rest are metal
- mikepurvis 3y agoAlso depends what the larger policy is around that one designed-to-fail part. Is it a toolless swap, with the store manager having a baggy of them in a cabinet somewhere? Or is even the sacrificial component only able to be swapped out by a special technician who must be specially summoned with some amount of cost and lead-time?
- simcop2387 3y agoThat'll depend a lot on the plastics and forces involved. Sometimes metal against plastic like that will increase the wear of the plastic parts because of the differences in hardness of the materials.
- adolph 3y ago> when subjected to out-of-spec loads A clutch similar to a drill could be used to protect a drive chain.
- nickff 3y agoClutches are much larger, more expensive, and liable to fail themselves if not regularly actuated. Most commercial equipment is quite well-designed by thoughtful people; a non-expert is unlikely to come up with a better design at a moment's thought.