Steel synchronising belt shows its teeth
A German inventor has come up with a novel design for a mechanical synchronising device, based on a toothed steel drive belt. Martin Gambs claims that his belt (shown in a prototype version below) will run as smoothly as a conventional toothed belt, but offers the rigidity of a chain drive as well as low rates of wear.
Form-locking teeth are attached to an endless belt, made from a high-grade spring steel running on cylindrical pulleys that contain grooves to mate with the teeth. Gambs claims that the combination of a high axial stiffness, and a constant length result in a precision drive system.
Potential applications include synchronising shafts, positioning carriers precisely, measuring distances, conveying and actuation.
Gambs says that the belt’s bearing capacity is similar to that of a standard drive belt, but adds that this needs to be verified in real operating conditions. He demonstrated a prototype version at the Hannover Fair earlier this year and is now planning to move to serial production and marketing of the belt.
