Application
Slew drives for solar trackers
Tracker drives run outdoors for 25 years, move a few degrees at a time, and must hold position in storm wind without consuming power. We size the drive from module count, torque tube and site wind speed.
What the drive has to survive
A tracker drive is a low-speed, high-holding-torque application with a very long life requirement. The failure modes in the field are almost never the gear teeth — they are the seal and the grease.
- Storm wind back-torque without a brake
- Thermal cycling and condensation inside the housing
- UV exposure on seals and paint
- 25-year design life without re-lubrication on most sites
How we size the drive
Send the module count, the torque tube diameter, the tilt range and the site wind speed. We come back with the ratio, the output torque and the holding torque, plus the housing orientation that keeps the breather above the grease line.
- Single-axis horizontal or vertical mounting
- Dual-axis pairs with a shared controller interface
- Encoder mounting and storm-position limits
- IP65 standard, IP66 sealing set for coastal sites
Interface with the tracker controller
The drive’s input flange and encoder mount decide how easy commissioning is. We machine both to the motor and controller you have already selected, so the first night of tracking does not turn into field rework.
Send module count and wind speed
With those two numbers and the torque tube size we can propose a drive the same day. Add the controller make and we will confirm the encoder interface too.