Split gearing, another method, consists of two equipment halves positioned side-by-side. Half is fixed to a shaft while springs cause the other half to rotate slightly. This increases the effective tooth thickness to ensure that it totally fills the tooth space of the mating gear, thereby eliminating backlash. In another version, an assembler bolts the rotated half to the fixed half after assembly. Split gearing is generally found in light-load, low-speed applications.

The simplest and most common way to reduce backlash in a pair of gears is to shorten the distance between their centers. This moves the gears right into a tighter mesh with low or also zero clearance between teeth. It eliminates the effect of variations in center distance, tooth sizes, and bearing eccentricities. To shorten the guts distance, either adapt the gears to a fixed distance and lock them in place (with bolts) or spring-load one against the other therefore they stay tightly meshed.
Fixed assemblies are usually found in heavyload applications where reducers must reverse their direction of rotation (bi-directional). Though “fixed,” they may still need readjusting during service to pay for tooth use. Bevel, spur, helical, and worm gears lend themselves to fixed applications. Spring-loaded assemblies, on the other hand, maintain a continuous zero backlash and tend to be used for low-torque applications.

Common design methods include brief center distance, spring-loaded split gears, plastic fillers, tapered gears, preloaded gear trains, and dual path gear trains.

Precision reducers typically limit backlash to about 2 deg and are used in applications such as for example instrumentation. Higher precision products that accomplish near-zero backlash are found in applications such as for example robotic systems and machine device spindles.
Gear designs could be modified in several ways to cut backlash. Some methods adapt the gears to a set tooth clearance during initial assembly. With this approach, backlash eventually increases because of wear, which needs readjustment. Other designs use springs to carry meshing gears at a constant backlash level throughout their service lifestyle. They’re generally limited to light load applications, though.

The opportunities are countless with zero backlash gearbox!