Why our modular system is so sustainable

The modular concept behind our products is one of the most important reasons for their success and also contributes significantly to sustainability. So, what is it that makes this concept especially sustainable? Although the following points apply to lots of our product series, the new PxG® planetary servo gear unit is a particularly good example to use in answer to this question.

The sustainability of our state-of-the-art gear unit is principally based on the general idea of creating as many variants as possible from as few individual parts as possible. A good example of this is using the same gear set for multiple purposes. For instance, we use the same gear wheel as the last gear unit stage in one gear unit size and then again as the preliminary stage in the next size. This means we can scale up the production of this particular gear wheel quite considerably, thereby making production more resource-efficient.

Another way that our modular system benefits sustainability is that we manufacture as few different parts as possible. For instance, many components can be used across a range of different product series. At the same time, simply having one component in dual variants, such as a drive bearing, means we can offer twice as many variants of each product.

Since all components are compatible, the end result is greater variation. This in turn enables us to build solutions that are tailored as closely as possible to specific customer requirements.

As a consequence, our production is very much geared to the market and we are therefore wasting almost zero resources on products that the market does not need or that do not work efficiently because they have not been optimally designed.

When overhauling the PxG planetary servo gear unit, we focused very much on what our customers want and need from the product. This meant we could ensure from the very start that customers would want the series and that we would therefore be manufacturing to meet demand. At the same time, when developing product concepts, we always work to minimise friction and maximise efficiency. We were able to achieve this to particularly good effect with the new PxG planetary servo gear unit.

Thanks to virtual product simulation based on a digital twin, the previously standard practice of building several prototypes in order to validate specific parameters has been rendered obsolete.

Our modular system illustrated by the PxG planetary servo gear unit

• All the components in the gear unit have been designed for minimum wear and a long service life.
• Maximum efficiency: Overall efficiency of up to 94%, due in part to the use of our friction-optimized Premium Sine Seal oil seal, which extends the replacement interval for seals by 100% and reduces sealing losses by 45% compared to conventional sealing systems.
• Smallest possible rotating mass for energy-efficient acceleration
• Energy-optimized design thanks to the use of different programming solutions to increase efficiency from 93.4% to 94.3% and reduce gear unit losses by 14%.
• Lubrication for life eliminates the need to change lubricant
• All PxG gear units are supplied unpainted for optimum recyclability. Instead of being painted, they are given a special heat treatment for consistent corrosion protection. We can avoid the use of paint on many other aluminum product series.
• Thanks to its use of GearOil by SEW-EURODRIVE, which incorporates cutting-edge additives, the PxG planetary servo gear unit exhibits excellent aging resistance and ensures maximum wear protection for gearing and bearing parts.
• Every product has a digital twin. This virtual version of the product documents both the product in its as-supplied condition and other relevant details that facilitate optimum, resource-saving service monitoring.
• Extremely low noise emission levels