Worm gears have an inherent design advantage over other gear sets; the worm can easily turn the gear, but the gear cannot turn the worm. In lifting applications, this feature acts as a secondary brake due to limited back drivability.

The hoist motor can transmit motion through the gear reducer, but the load cannot transmit motion back through the gear reducer.

• Regulates the lowering speed of the load
• The load will not be allowed to free fall
• OSHA [1910.179] recognizes this as an approved means of controlled braking

In an industry where ‘load brakes’ and ‘regenerative braking’ are widely accepted, Electrolift offers the better option by using a worm drive gearbox as the secondary braking function.

The main advantages of Electrolift’s non-load brake worm drive gear reducer:

• Constant load on the load block. Load brake hoists are prohibited from doing this because it does not allow the load brake to release causing overheating and premature failure.
• Long lifts – Long lifts cause load brakes to overheat and prematurely fail
• Faster lifting speeds – Load brakes accumulate excessive heat as lifting speeds increase.
• Inherently safe – Worm drives do not need controls or high maintenance mechanisms to ensure safe lifts.
• Low Maintenance – Less moving parts than gearboxes that require complex load brake mechanisms