A worm drive is a gear arrangement in which a worm meshes with a worm gear. The two elements are also called the worm screw and worm wheel. The terminology is often confused by imprecise use of the term worm gear to refer to the worm, the worm gear, or the worm drive as a unit.
The primary benefit of worm gears is their ability to provide high reduction ratios and correspondingly high torque multiplication. They can also be used as speed reducers in low- to medium-speed applications.
For applications that require greater speed, worm gearboxes can be used. Some of the applications of worm gearboxes are-
Presses Mining Escalator/ Elevator Drive systems Rolling mills Manufacturing and packaging industries Small machinery and conveyors