Depending on the application, excessive backlash may not interfere with the operation of the drive.

Depending on the application, excessive backlash may not interfere with the operation of the drive.

• A. True
• B. False
• C. Not specified
• D. Sometimes

Answer: (A)

Backlash is the clearance between mating gears that causes a bit of lost motion when the direction of motion or load changes. Whether excessive backlash interferes with operation depends on what the drive is doing. In many applications, especially those that don’t require precise positioning or where the control system can compensate for deadband, a bit of backlash won’t prevent the drive from functioning. For example, a simple conveyor or a transmission where speed and torque matter more than exact position can tolerate it, or a control loop that accounts for backlash by software or preload. In contrast, high-precision positioning or systems that must respond exactly to small commands would be sensitive to backlash. So the statement is true.

Backlash is the clearance between mating gears that causes a bit of lost motion when the direction of motion or load changes. Whether excessive backlash interferes with operation depends on what the drive is doing. In many applications, especially those that don’t require precise positioning or where the control system can compensate for deadband, a bit of backlash won’t prevent the drive from functioning. For example, a simple conveyor or a transmission where speed and torque matter more than exact position can tolerate it, or a control loop that accounts for backlash by software or preload. In contrast, high-precision positioning or systems that must respond exactly to small commands would be sensitive to backlash. So the statement is true.