Drum motor

The goal was to produce a compact, totally enclosed single component drive unit with high efficiency and lower frictional losses compared to a conventional geared motor.

One end of the drum is directly coupled through the motor's rotor pinion to an in-line helical or planetary gearbox which is fixed to the other stationary shaft.

Because of the in-line transmission arrangement using 2 or 3 stage helical or planetary gears, up to 95% of the output power produced by the motor is typically transmitted to the drum shell.

Incremental encoders can also be integrated into the rotor bearings to provide a closed-loop control system for tracking, positioning and accurate tracing of the product on the belt.

Because the drum motor is totally enclosed, requires no maintenance and has a smooth clean profile without any additional equipment or protrusions.

The drum motor is often lighter than conventional drives and the weight is evenly distributed within the conveyor frame.

The motor, gearbox and bearings are totally enclosed and sealed in a shell, therefore they are unlikely to fail due to harmful environmental conditions such as water, dust, dirt, grit, chemicals, grease, oil, and so on.

The application for this "conveyor roller" is from November 1928 and it was applied by the Pittsburgh subsidiary of the German engineering company Schloemann.