Patent ID: 8584359

Claim:
A method of manufacturing an epicyclic gear system, comprising: fabricating a two-part housing including a cap and a gear reducer body; forming male and female members around an annular edge of said cap; forming male and female members around an annular edge of said gear reducer body; forming said cap and said gear reducer body so that the male and female members of said cap mate with the respective female and male members of said gear reducer body; forming a ring gear to operate within said gear reducer body; arranging gears within said two-part housing, at least some of the gears meshing with the ring gear of said gear reducer body; forming the male and female members in one of said cap or said gear reducer body so as to allow relative radial movement therebetween when the male and female members of said cap are interleaved with the female and male members of said gear reducer body to reduce binding of the gears; forming an annular groove in an outer arcuate edge of each male member of said cap and in an outer arcuate edge of each male member of said gear reducer body; using an annular snap ring for engagement into the annular grooves of the male members of said cap and into the annular grooves of the male members of said gear reducer body to movably fasten said gear reducer body to said cap to form an integral epicyclic gear system.