When it comes to large scale production, gear engineering and design is crucial. While there are many aspects to consider, one that shouldn’t be overlooked is the selection of gear material. Let’s take a closer look at the factors that should be considered when choosing gear material, and some of the materials that are most commonly used in gear manufacturing.
Factors of Material Selection
In our experience, at a simplified level, there are three factors that are most important when selecting a gear material. They are strength, durability, and cost, which includes both the cost of the material and the cost of manufacturing. While the importance of these factors may vary from one project to another, the key to material selection is finding the right combination of physical properties that satisfy the requirements of the project at the lowest cost.
Common Gear Materials
Gears can be made of all sorts of materials, including many types of steel, brass, bronze, cast iron, ductile iron, aluminum, powdered metals, and plastics. Steel is the most common material overall, although over the years, we’ve worked with all of the material types mentioned. Steel is often most desirable because it offers a winning combination of high strength-to-weight ratio, high resistance to wear, the ability to enhance the physical properties through heat treatment, and competitive pricing.
Gear Engineering Services
For custom gear design, we recommend working with an experienced gear manufacturer with an in-house gear engineering and design team. Since 2012, China Gear Motions has partnered with engineering consultancy firm KBE+ to provide dedicated technical expertise to our customers. Dr. William Mark McVea, Principal Engineer and CEO of KBE+, brings many years of gear design, development, and application experience. Together, we are confident we can solve any technical challenge our customers may face.
China Gear Motions has an extensive history in gear manufacturing, and we’ve worked with a wide variety of material types over the years. Our engineering team will work with you from start to finish on your project to optimize design for manufacturability. This includes material selection, gear geometry, strength, alignment and more. Other engineering services offered by our team include reverse engineering, prototyping, and redesign.
At China Gear Motions, we are committed to exceeding customer expectations in every stage of the gear manufacturing process; from our first-rate engineering services, to our advanced precision gear manufacturing services, to our excellent after the sale customer service. When you work with China Gear Motions, you can feel confident that you are getting a quality product from an experienced team. We’re here to assist with all of your gear manufacturing needs; just contact us with your project details to get started.
