This section provides an overview for timing pulleys as well as their applications and principles. Also, please take a look at the list of 10 timing pulley manufacturers and their company rankings.
Table of Contents
A timing pulley is a type of pulley used to transmit power with a belt, which functions like a gear and can adjust timing.
Basically, a timing belt and timing pulley are used as a set.
The grooves of the belt and the grooves of the pulleys mesh with each other to prevent power transmission loss due to belt slippage, even under high loads and at high RPM. With ordinary pulleys, drive timing of machines and equipment can be affected by belt slippage, but this is not the case with timing pulley.
A timing pulley is widely used in precision machinery, automobiles, etc., and is made of various materials depending on the intended use.
The most common use for timing pulleys are in automobile engines.
Engines have intake valves to intake the air mixture into the cylinders and exhaust valves to exhaust the exhaust gases after combustion. These valves are opened and closed by camshafts, and timing pulleys are used to drive the camshafts.
Intake and exhaust valves must open and close in accordance with the timing of the pistons, which repeat their up-and-down motion at high speed. If the timing is off, the engine will malfunction or fail.
In order for the engine to produce power, it is extremely important to match the piston movement, valve opening and closing, and ignition timing, and the timing belt and timing pulleys are responsible for this.
Even in devices and machines other than automobiles, gears or timing pulleys are used for reliable power transmission when the timing of internal components needs to be synchronized.
Timing pulleys are inter-meshing transmissions.
Timing pulleys, like gears, have a set number of teeth, and the timing can be adjusted by setting the number of teeth. (Some manufacturers set the number of teeth in increments of 1 for small-diameter timing pulleys.) If the number of teeth on the drive timing pulleys is 20 and the number of teeth on the transmission side is 40, two revolutions on the drive side will result in one revolution on the transmission side.
If the number of teeth is set incorrectly, the timing will be off each time the pulley rotates, leading to damage to the machine or equipment. Be sure to check the number of teeth on the pulley before use.
Other items to check:
Always use the appropriate timing pulley.
Timing pulleys come in a wide variety of types, and there are also various types available for mounting on a shaft. There are keyway, shaft hole, crimp type with threaded holes, keyless type (with integrated fasteners), etc., and they can be installed anywhere.
The wide variety of types, standards, materials, and installation methods requires careful consideration when selecting timing pulleys.
There are various types of timing pulleys, which are classified by tooth shape and dimensional standard.
In the inch series, trapezoidal type "MXL," "XL," "L," and "H" are available. They are used for general transmission and light-load conveying.
In the millimeter series, there are "T" and "AT" trapezoidal types, "S" and "R" types for high-torque transmission, and "H" type for high-precision positioning.
The trapezoidal type is often used for conveyance, and the "AT" has 1.3 times the allowable tension of the "T" and is capable of high load conveyance.
The "S" and "R" types for high-torque transmission have low backlash and are often used for positioning. The "H type" is used for applications that require particularly high accuracy.
Timing pulleys are selected by calculating the load, safety factor, and other factors based on the conditions of use.
First, clarify the conditions of use. Determine the transmission power from the rated power of the prime mover and determine the correction factor based on the conditions of use. The method for determining the correction factor is described in each manufacturer's data. For example, the correction factor is determined based on the presence of repetitive loads, vibration, and daily operating hours. The transmission power multiplied by the correction factor is called the design power, which is the transmission power used for selection.
Next, a simplified selection table is used to select a belt type (tooth profile) based on the pulley rotation speed and design power. The simplified selection table can be found in each manufacturer's selection documents.
Once the tooth profile is determined, the standard transmission capacity is determined from the pulley rotation speed using the standard transmission capacity table. Calculate the required belt width from the design power, standard transmission capacity, standard belt width, and engagement coefficient.
Next, depending on the installation conditions, we determine the installation dimensions and belt length by designing whether a flange should be attached, how long the distance between shafts should be, how the belt tensioning mechanism should be, and so on.
Pulley materials include aluminum, stainless steel, and iron, which must be selected according to the application.
When strength is required, iron, or stainless steel is used. Aluminum is often used for precision positioning that requires a low moment of inertia.
*Including some distributors, etc.
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