Frame, reduction, and the torque the GBX-160 actually carries
The Schneider Electric GBX1600400842D is a planetary gearbox in the GBX series, sized to a 160 mm external diameter with a straight-cut gear set and a 40:1 reduction ratio — the headline numbers a panel or machine builder fixes first when matching a servo or stepper to a load. Continuous output torque is 700 N.m and maximum output torque reaches 1120 N.m, so the unit is built for sustained mid-range drive work rather than peak shock loads — sizing should be done against the continuous figure with the maximum reserved for transient acceleration. Efficiency is 94 %, which is typical for a precision planetary stage at 40:1 and means roughly 6 % of the input power is converted to heat inside the housing — worth budgeting into the enclosure thermal calculation when the gearbox runs at rated torque for long duty cycles.
Backlash, rigidity, and what 10 arc.min buys the integrator
Maximum torsional backlash is 10 arc.min with a torsional rigidity of 41 N.m/arcmin, a stiffness figure that lets the gearbox hold position under reversing load without the wind-up that wrecks repeatability on indexing axes. Moment of inertia at the input is 5.28 g.cm² — a low figure that keeps the gearbox from dominating the acceleration budget when paired with a mid-size servo, which matters on high-cycle pick-and-place or packaging axes where every g.cm² above the motor rotor costs cycle time. Service life is rated 30000 h at 100 rpm at 30 °C, so continuous-duty sizing should keep the average output speed near that benchmark; running well above 100 rpm shortens bearing life and pushes the lubricant beyond its design envelope.
Shaft loads and the IP54 seal at the output
Maximum radial force Fr at mid-distance from the output shaft is 4200 N over the full 30000 h life at 100 rpm, rising to 6000 N if the duty is capped at 10000 h at 100 rpm — the higher figure is the short-life rating, and a belt or pinion mounted outboard should be dimensioned to stay under the long-life number to keep the L10 bearing assumption honest. Maximum axial force Fa follows the same time derate: 6000 N at 100 rpm over 30000 h, 8000 N at 100 rpm over 10000 h at 30 °C, so a vertically hung screw or a thrust-bearing-mounted pulley needs to land inside the long-life figure unless the buyer is accepting a shortened service interval. The shaft output carries an IP54 seal, which excludes dust ingress and resists splashing water from any direction — adequate for an enclosure-mounted or covered-machine application, but not for a washdown cell where IP65 or higher would be the floor.
Operating envelope and mounting posture
Ambient operating temperature is -25 to 90 °C, wide enough for most factory and outdoor cabinet installations; the upper end sits above typical servo-amplifier ratings, so the gearbox will not be the first component to derate in a hot enclosure. The unit is lubricated for life — no service port or oil-change interval, which removes a maintenance line item but means the 30000 h figure is the hard replacement trigger. Mounting position is rated for any orientation, so the gearbox can be hung from a ceiling frame, stood on a baseplate, or tilted to a machine bed without derating the bearing or lubrication assumptions. Noise level is 70 dB at 1 m under no-load, the figure a safety officer uses to decide whether the gearbox needs a sound enclosure when it sits inside a workstation rather than inside a panel.