Magnetic gear

The magnetic gear resembles in part, the traditional mechanical gear. All cogs of each gear component of magnetic gears act as a magnet with periodic alternation of opposite magnetic poles on mating surfaces. Gear components are mounted with a "cushioned" backlash capability similar to other mechanical gearings with no cushioning effect. Although they can exert as much force as a traditional gear, such gears work without touching and so are immune to wear of mating surfaces, have very low noise and can slip without damage making them very reliable. They can be used in configurations that are not possible for gears that must be physically touching and can operate with a barrier completely separating the driving force from the load. The magnetically coupled gear can transmit force into a hermetically sealed enclosure without using a radial shaft seal, which may leak. Hermetically sealed processes are not contaminated or chemically affected by the magnetic gear. This can be an advantage in explosive or otherwise hazardous environments where leaks constitute a real danger.