Shafts carry rotation in a straight line. Cogwheels transfer motion to adjacent axes and allow ratio changes. Gearboxes turn a straight transmission into branching layouts.
Core behaviour
- Shafts are the cleanest way to carry rotation along one axis.
- Adjacent cogs change direction; different cog sizes can alter speed ratios.
- Gearboxes distribute rotational inputs/outputs compactly when a factory layout turns corners.
Design practice
- Leave inspection access rather than hiding every shaft behind walls.
- Use consistent service corridors under belts or behind machines, making upgrades and troubleshooting much easier.
Readable routing
- Use service corridors, gantries or underfloor drives so each branch has a purpose.
- Ratios and reversing components should be near the machine they control or clearly labelled.
Maintenance
- Design around access for a wrench and goggles.
- When a branch fails, test from the source outward rather than changing everything at once.
Routing motion
Transmission determines whether a factory remains readable. Straight shafts make strong service spines, belts combine transport with visual motion, and gearing belongs where its direction or ratio change is easy to identify.
When a machine must be switched, reversed or speed-controlled, put the control where the operator can see the effect. A control room is useful only when the controlled system is comprehensible.
Troubleshooting order
Start at the generator and follow rotation outward. Confirm each branch turns, note where direction changes, then inspect the consumer. This method is faster than randomly replacing gears in a crowded mechanical room.