Life Expectancy of Matex’s Planetary Gear Systems

At Matex, we supply our customers with quality planetary gear systems for a number of applications in many different industries. Because are gears are so versatile, we want to let our customers know the answer to one of our frequently asked questions; “What is the life expectancy for my gear?” 

The answer is not as straightforward as you may like but that is because there are many factors that determine the life of a planetary gear system. However, we do have a system to predict the life expectancy of each type of gear we offer. 

What is B10 Life?

Our gears range in size from 26 millimeters up to 200 and from plastic to sintered metal and steel. Each type of gear has a different B10 life that can help us understand how long our gears will last. 

B10 life means that after a certain percentage of hours of use that 10 percent of the product could fail.

B10 for Plastic Planetary Gear Systems:

• Plastic gears have a B10 life of about 1,000 hours.

B10 for Sintered Metal Planetary Gear Systems:

• Sintered metal gears have a B10 life of about 3,000 hours.

B10 for Steel Planetary Gear Systems:

• Small steel gears have a B10 life of about 5,000 hours.
• Big steel gears have a B10 life of about 10,000 hours.

Consider How Your Planetary Gear System is Being Used

So, it really depends on which type of gear what size of the gear and then how many hours you plan to use it. If it's going to be used all day long the gear won’t last a long as one that is used intermittently.  

Factors that can affect a Planetary Gear’s Life Expectancy:

• Is your planetary gear being run at the proper RPMs?
• Are you ramping your planetary gear up slowly?
• Is there a shock load involved with your planetary gear?
• Are the planetary gears properly aligned? 
• Are the planetary gears properly lubricated? 
   

If you have any questions about our planetary gear applications, industries, or the B10 Life of your gear, contact us at Matex Gears today! We supply you with the best quality planetary gears with the best quantity gear pricing around!