The concept of gears has been around for a while as they are some of the oldest mechanical components that are still relevant today. Be it the automotive industry, the aerospace sector, any industrial machinery or something simple like a clock. Gears are needed everywhere and perhaps you would like to know more about gear manufacturing.
Preface: Gear Manufacturing Process
There is no single process for manufacturing gears as they require different processes depending on the type and application.
Generally, gears operate under very harsh conditions because power transmission (the actual purpose of gearing) has several requirements. First, the gears must be in perfect condition. Next, they must always be reliable, have minimal residual stresses and little or no risk of crack propagation.
Naturally, all these requirements are extremely difficult to fulfill. However, no one can deny their importance. This is why gear production is a highly specialized field with limited tolerances and room for error.
This article will take you back to the basics of gear manufacturing regarding common materials for industrial gears, gear preparation processes, and how gears can handle all that load without failing.
Common gear types and their applications
Before we get into the details of gear sizes and manufacturing processes, it’s important to take a look at the basics. They are different types of gears and their application and advantages.
Your application, performance settings, and many other factors play an important role in the type of gears you use. There are several ways to characterize gear type, but the best and most relevant from a gear manufacturing perspective is the profile of their teeth.
Here are the 5 types of gears you will encounter.
Cylindrical gears
Draw a rough picture of what the equipment looks like in your mind. Chances are you’re thinking about equipment with straight teeth. This is exactly what a spur gear looks like.
Spur gear is the most common type of gear and has multiple applications in power plants, aerospace components , industrial machines and much more. Straight teeth are the simplest to manufacture and handle high speeds and high loads. However, they produce a lot of noise and are not suitable for applications that also require smooth operation.
Additionally, spur gears can mate with other gears of the same type and internal/external gears. You’ll find spur gears in many gear mechanisms like a simple rack/pinion configuration or a planetary gear system.
Their simplicity means it’s easier for you to do. Therefore, it will be easier for you to maintain precision during gear production. Spur gears also have little or no axial load, so they are quite efficient for a gear train where you want to minimize mechanical losses.
Helical gears
Helical gears are quite similar to spur gears, but they come with teeth that are twisted around a cylindrical body. This quality allows them to easily work with parallel and non-parallel shafts. Their coupling, however, only works with other helical gears of the same helix angle (the twist angle of the original cylinder).
helical gear
Most applications of helical gears are the same as those of spur gears. However, angled teeth play a huge role in reducing impact load and smoothing operations. This also means less noise, but at the expense of efficiency. Compared to spur gears, a helical gear train will have more losses and will also need thrust bearings due to its shape.
From a manufacturing perspective, helical gears are stronger than spur gears. Helix angles are quite difficult to reproduce with a small acceptable tolerance range. In addition, the manufacturing costs and then the addition of other axial elements make them suitable for limited operations.
Bevel gears
Bevel gears are not your standard spur gears. They come on a tapered surface that allows you to change the direction of transmission on intersecting shafts. Generally, bevel gears operate with 90 0 angles. However, you can also use them on other configurations.