Worm Gear Drive Vs. Planetary Gear Drive

Worm

• Worm gears use a worm wheel that is positioned above, and meshed with, a worm screw. As the worm wheel turns, the worm screw spins at a 90 degree angle. This gear drive allows the speed of the system to be lessened through the conversion of movement from the worm wheel to the worm screw.

Planetary

• On the other hand, a planetary gear drive is oriented with a large gear in the middle; meshed along its sides are multiple smaller gears, resembling planets orbiting around a sun. This gear drive gives the system options of locking and unlocking certain gears to achieve movement to part of a system, while the other portion stays stationary.

Identification

• Worm gear drives are used extensively in conveyor belt assemblies. In contrast, planetary gear drives are best known for being used in automatic transmissions, moving from lower gears to higher gears.