The global precision gearbox market is expected to witness substantial growth over the forecast period on account of the growing demand from the automotive sector. The rising global population and increasing consumer disposable income have led to the demand for vehicles such as two wheelers, four wheelers. Owing to this need for new technology and innovation in the automotive industry is increasing. As there is a direct relationship between technology and automotive industry, when the demand for vehicles rises, the demand for related technologies such as gearboxes, engines, batteries, etc. also rises.
The U.S. is expected to dominate the gearbox market owing to the massive demand for motorcycles and other vehicles. Asia Pacific market is expected to grow exponentially on account of rising per capita income. The demand in Latin America and the Middle East is expected to escalate owing to the rapid adoption of the precision gearbox technology in the two markets.
Technological advancements have led to increasing demand for industrial robots and machine tools on account of which the demand for the precision gearbox technology is increasing at a high rate. Furthermore, the rise in automotive transmission sector is also expected to have a positive impact on the gearbox market.
The main function of the precision gearbox is to give right angle change in direction where desired. It is also deployed to transmit energy from one system to the other through the mechanical process. The systems are deployed at a junction of power shaft and motor. Gearboxes can be differentiated on the basis of arrangement and construction of gears. Gearboxes provide power densities which are translated into small package size. These also provide optimum efficiency throughout the process.
The gearbox industry demands constant innovation and improvement in the technology owing to the increasing competition from new technologies such as direct drive, which are being adopted and accepted in the market on a large scale. However, the precision gearbox technology plays an integral part in many systems and industries.
Servomotors are being adopted in the market owing to the low-cost worm gear solution. Food & beverage industry, labeling and packaging industry and few others extensively use this type of gearbox. The demand in these industries is expected to rise in the forecast period leading to the growth in demand for the gearbox industry.
Servomotors are used in high accuracy application owing to its efficient functioning. It minimizes the effect of inertia with the help of 25:1 gearbox Servomotor gearbox can tackle the problem directly by escalating the motor interferes through a different mechanical component. Precision gearboxes provide comparatively enhanced accuracy than gear reducers.
The gearbox market can be categorized on the basis of types into internal & external, spur, helical & helical, skew, bevel, spiral bevel, hypoid, crown, worm, sun and planet, servomotor and magnetic gears. Planetary gearbox comprises of the sun gear, ring gear and planet gear.
Planetary gearbox covers entire automation industry. It is mostly used in ‘pick and place’ systems such as loading and unloading gantry robots, in packaging machinery, etc. The other several applications of the gearboxes are in mining machinery, industries which use conveyor belts, in wind energy turbines, in the automotive sector, robotic machinery in production plants, military & aerospace, medical equipment industry and rubber & plastics industry.
The precision gearbox market can also be bifurcated on the basis of backlash ratings. A low precision gearbox is when it is functioning >20 arcs per minute whereas the high precision gearbox is when it is functioning <5 arcs per minute. The ability to provide low resistance, efficient functioning and low friction makes the precision gearboxes accurate and applicable in several high accuracy applications.
The market of North America is expected to dominate the gearbox market owing to the research and development projects and growing demand in the U.S. North America is expected to contribute to the market over 40% of the global demand in the forecast period. Asia Pacific market is expected to grow at a rate owing to the growing demand and developing infrastructure and increasing use of automation in industrial sectors. On account of growing acceptance for precision gearbox technology the market of Latin America and the Middle East is expected to grow.
The key contributors to the market are Bonfiglioli Riduttori, Rexnord Corporation, Siemens AG, ABB Group, Emerson Electric Company and SEW Eurodrive Group. Few of the prominent vendors include Cone Drive Operations, David Brown Engineering, Curtis Machine Company, Oerlikon Graziano, Drive Systems, Brevini Power Transmission and Horsburgh & Scott.
