An Engineers Guide To High Performance Plastic Gears

Polymers Outperform Metals In Precision Gearing

Gears, especially in open gearing applications, share well-known performance problems that repeatedly crop up across many applications. The most common ones include excessive noise, vibration, heat, weight, and corrosion. Gears also tend to be either over-lubricated or subject to wear, which respectively causes contamination from grease or metal particles.

At best, all these performance issues will result in gears that are expensive to maintain. At worst, they will cause gears to fail prematurely, driving costs even higher. Download our paper to read how can solve all of these problems with good plastic gear design practices.

Have a Plastic Gearing Question? - Speak to an Engineer - at +1-201-767-8066 or watch our video below.

 

Machined High-Performance Plastic- Metal Composite Gears outperform metal gears.

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How to design polymer gears that last: 

  • Select the right material for the job
  • Eliminate lubrication: reduce product contamination and metal particles
  • Make your gear drives quiet  - Optimize tooth mesh to minimize tooth wear and friction
  • Select the right material made in the right way for the job - it should be free of internal tensions and stresses from manufacturing. Gears need high-impact strength, and dimensional stability, especially in heat and moisture.
  • Materials with low or no moisture absorption eliminate the need for backlash allowance to compensate for the swelling, which can lead to sloppy plastic gear engagement.
  • Impact resistance and the ability of the material to flex and return are key - materials like Acetal have low moisture absorption. Still, they tend to suffer from shock damage, nylons absorb shock and moisture, and all grades vary drastically by manufacture and manufacturing process.
  • Think about how you will attach your gear and how the torque will transmit from the shaft to the gear teeth.
  •  Learn to calculate plastic gears to last the life of your application.

High Performance Plastic Gears Download
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