Bonfiglioli Industrial Transmission System Selection Guide

Analysis of Bonfiglioli Industrial Automation Transmission System Selection and Motion Control Technology

Introduction: From Single Transmission to System Integration

Driven by the wave of Industry 4.0 and intelligent manufacturing, modern factories' requirements for transmission systems are no longer as simple as providing torque and speed. The challenge faced by engineers is how to seamlessly integrate gearboxes, motors, frequency converters, sensors, and digital tools to form a complete drive chain that is efficient, accurate, and has predictive maintenance capabilities.

As a global leader in power transmission and drive solutions, Bonfiglioli's Industry&Automation product portfolio provides end-to-end solutions for over 20 industries including material handling, food and beverage, metalworking, packaging, and renewable energy. This article will delve into the core technical parameters and selection logic of Bonfiglioli's product matrix from an engineering practice perspective, to assist engineers in making optimal decisions in complex applications.

Precision planetary gearbox: balance of precision, stiffness, and dynamic response

In high dynamic applications such as robots, machine tools, and automated production lines, backlash, torsional stiffness, and tilting moment are the core KPIs for measuring gearbox performance.

1. TQ series: the benchmark for high-performance servo applications

The TQ series provides extremely high torque density for servo systems with high-precision positioning and fast dynamic response. Its torsional backlash can be as low as 1 arcmin in high-precision versions, coupled with a maximum tilt torque carrying capacity of 1700 Nm (taking the TQ170 model as an example), making it an ideal choice for the fourth/fifth axis or high-precision rotating worktable of machine tools.

For applications with significant external axial or radial loads, such as direct gear and rack drives, the TQ series provides reinforced bearings that significantly enhance the ultimate load capacity, effectively avoiding equipment downtime caused by premature bearing failure.

2. SL and KR series: precise adaptation for dedicated scenarios

The SL series is optimized for synchronous belt drives, and its compact design and extremely high radial load capacity solve the pain point of traditional gearboxes needing to be enlarged and selected due to excessive shaft load in belt drives.

The KR series is designed to meet the demand for right angle transmission in compact spaces, offering 1:1, 1:2, and 1:5 speed ratios, making it particularly suitable for material conveying and packaging equipment with limited axial space.

3. LC and MP series: engineering compromise between cost and performance

For cost sensitive applications that do not require extreme dynamic performance, such as simple conveyor lines or rotary tables, the LC and MP series offer high compatibility solutions with medium precision (standard backlash ≤ 12 arcmin). Their output flange designs comply with market standards, making it easy to quickly replace existing outdated equipment.

Heavy duty industrial gearbox: reliability guarantee under extreme working conditions

When the application scenario shifts to mining, steel or heavy-duty cranes, the gearbox needs to withstand high impact loads and extreme environmental temperatures simultaneously. Bonfiglioli's heavy-duty series demonstrates its profound accumulation in the field of large-scale transmission.

1. 300M series: High torque density planetary solution

The 300M series planetary gearbox adopts a modular design, with a torque range covering 1250 Nm to 1286000 Nm (taking the 300/325 model as an example). Its torque/weight ratio is extremely high, and it supports direct connection with hydraulic motors, providing great installation flexibility for mobile crushers or shield machines and other equipment.

2. 3/H series: Heat dissipation optimization for parallel axis overload

For scenarios that require continuous high-power operation, heat dissipation is the main bottleneck. The 3/H series achieves enormous power transmission in an extremely compact space through optimized cooling circuit design, combined with a composite transmission structure of parallel shafts and planetary stages, and can adapt to large reduction ratios exceeding 100:1.

3. HDP series: an economical choice for parallel axis heavy loads

The HDP series adopts high-quality materials and advanced gear shaping technology, aiming to maximize torque output and minimize maintenance costs. Its applicability in potentially explosive gas and dust environments (ATEX certification) makes it highly trusted in the chemical and grain processing industries.

Motor and Drive Technology: Energy Efficiency Grades and Inverter Compatibility

1. Asynchronous motor platform: global compliance and universality

The core advantage of BXN/MXN series (IE3/NEMA Premium) motors lies in their 9-pin junction box design, which enables them to easily adapt to 50Hz/60Hz and different voltage (such as 230/400V or 265/460V) power grids, greatly simplifying inventory management for export equipment.

Gaoyuan correction: When the altitude exceeds 1000 meters, the motor power needs to be corrected according to the decrease in air density (for example, the power drops to 76% of the rated value at 4000 meters).

Variable frequency drive adaptation: When the motor is driven by a PWM frequency converter, special attention should be paid to the issue of heat dissipation and derating below 30Hz. For constant torque low-frequency operation, it is recommended to choose an independently powered servo fan (IC416).

2. Synchronous Reluctance and Servo Technology: Exceeding the Energy Efficiency Threshold of IE4

The BSR series synchronous reluctance motor combines the robustness of asynchronous motors with the high efficiency of synchronous motors, achieving IE4 or even IE5 energy efficiency levels without the need for permanent magnets. Its rotor structure is simple, without demagnetization risk, and suitable for long-term continuous operation.

For high dynamic positioning, the BMD series servo motor, with low cogging torque and high overload capacity, combined with 14 feedback types (including safety encoders), can be paired with AxiaVert or Active Cube frequency converters to achieve precise speed control of up to 6000 rpm.

Variable frequency drive and digital selection tool

1. Platform driven architecture

Active Cube (ACU): Covering 0.25 kW to 400 kW (up to 1.2 MW in parallel), supporting STO (SIL 3/PL e) functionality, integrated with VPLC, programmable logic based on IEC 61131-3, suitable for complex motion control and lifting applications.

DGM modular distributed frequency converter: For distributed scenarios such as AGV or stereoscopic warehouses, DGM can be directly installed on the motor and communicate through real-time Ethernet protocols such as EtherCAT/PROFINET, greatly reducing control cabinet wiring and space occupation.

2. Integration of Smart Sizer and Eplan

The efficiency of modern engineering design depends on the integrity of the software toolchain.

Smart Sizer supports collaborative selection of multi axis servo systems, capable of calculating acceleration/braking curves and energy feedback for up to 50 axes at once, ensuring perfect thermodynamic and dynamic matching between the selected driver, motor, and gearbox.

The deep integration of EPLAN data portal enables engineers to directly drag and drop macros, functional templates, and 3D data of Bonfiglioli components into electrical design drawings, reducing manual input errors and shortening project delivery cycles.

Industrial Ethernet and Functional Safety

In smart factories, the drive system is no longer an isolated power conversion unit, but a part of the information flow.

All Bonfiglioli frequency converters come standard with or can be optionally equipped with mainstream fieldbuses such as CANopen, PROFINET, EtherNet/IP, EtherCAT, etc. More importantly, STO (Safe Torque Off) has been popularized as a basic safety function in the Agile series (SIL 2/PL d) and AxiaVert series (SIL 3/PL e), enabling engineers to meet the protection requirements of ISO 13849-1 without the need for additional safety relays, greatly simplifying safety circuit design.