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Plastic Gears More Durable Than Ever - Plastics Get in Gear - Mechanical Drives Content From Machine Design
Plastic Gears More Durable Than Ever - Plastics Get in Gear - Mechanical Drives Content From Machine Design
gears more durable than ever | Plastics get in gear | Mechanical Drives content from Machine Design
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HOME > TECHNOLOGIES > MECHANICAL DRIVES > PLASTIC GEARS MORE DURABLE THAN EVER | PLASTICS GET IN GEAR
Plastic gears more durable than ever | Plastics get in
gear
Plastic gears are more reliable when engineers account for material properties
and manufacturing processes during design.
Zan Smith, Ticona LLG | Motion System Design Jul 1, 2000
Molded plastic gears have long provided alternatives to
metal gears in lightly loaded drives. They transmit power
quietly and often without lubrication in applications
such as food processors, windshield wiper drives, and
even watches. They also reduce the number of parts and Top Articles
resist chemicals in many applications.
The team's objective is to design each gear set for nominal operating conditions, finetune UPDATE: Engineers Assemble! How Sci
Fi Led Me to STEM
the design for worstcase operation, and create detailed specifications for producing
by Carlos Gonzalez
prototype and production gears.
Posted 2 weeks ago
Plastics aren't metals in Engineers Assemble!
Before starting the design process, engineers accustomed to designing metal gears need to
understand the major properties of plastics that affect gear performance. These include
strength, elastic modulus, thermal expansion, moisture absorption, and friction
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characteristics.
Plastics have much lower strengths than metals. For example, bending strength ranges
from 12,000 to 45,000 psi, depending on the specific material. This means larger gears to Signup to receive our free newsletters
carry the same load. However innovative designs, such as those that split the torque
Motion Monitor Newsletter (Monthly)
between two or more gears operating in parallel, can minimize the size of a gear set. View Sample
Gear teeth have a lower elastic modulus and mesh Tech Insider (Monthly) View Sample
stiffness, so they deflect more under load. Consequently Mechanical Monthly (Monthly) View
Sample
the designer generally needs to increase backlash and
tip relief to prevent interference between mating teeth. CAD/CAM/CAE Monthly Newsletter
(Monthly) View Sample
Strength and stiffness vary widely with temperature Motors Monthly Newsletter (Monthly)
View Sample
extremes and exposure to water and chemicals. For
Materials Monthly Newsletter
example, the elastic modulus of plastic drops as much
(Weekly) View Sample
Windshield wiper drive transmits as 60% with a 90oF temperature rise, whereas the
power from a metal worm via two Sensor Sense Newsletter (Monthly)
spur gears (worm wheels) modulus of steel remains nearly constant. Nylons absorb View Sample
connected to a third larger gear moisture, causing some of them to lose as much as 50%
(not shown). The two spur gears Electrical & Electronic Monthly
are molded from acetal copolymer. of their modulus. Newsletter (Monthly) View Sample
Opposite leads on the two worm
Product Spotlight (Monthly) View
segments cancel axial forces and Gear dimensions also change with environmental Sample
simplify bearing requirements.
conditions. The coefficient of thermal expansion for
Drive torque capacity is 700 Nm at Fastening & Joining Monthly (Monthly)
1,860 rpm. unreinforced plastics is three to twenty times that of View Sample
metals. However, certain reinforced plastics offer 3D Printing 360 (TwiceMonthly) View
thermal expansions close to that of metals. The thermal effects of molding, particularly Sample
gating and cooling, affects the longterm dimensional stability of gears. EMAIL*
COUNTRY* United States
Moisture absorption causes plastic parts to swell, especially those made from nylon.
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Swelling reduces gear tooth clearances, causing tightly meshing gears to jam. Therefore, offerings by Penton, its brands, affiliates and/or third
party partners, consistent with Penton’s Privacy Policy.
the designer needs to compensate by increasing clearances or by selecting a material with
less swelling tendency. Some chemicals cause plastics to either shrink or swell.
Friction and wear characteristics depend largely on geometry, load, speed, surface finish,
material combination used in mating gears, and environment conditions. The coefficient
of friction typically ranges from 0.10 to 0.40 for plasticonsteel and 0.12 to 0.60 for
plasticonplastic. These characteristics tend to be poorly defined.
Using two different materials in mating, dryrunning gears tends to reduce wear and
noise. Conversely, using the same material in both gears gives better dimensional control.
Additives such as PTFE, silicone, or graphite improve the natural lubricity of plastics, and
reduce wear. But be sure the lubricants are compatible.
Remember all your options: Plastic gears
As you define the operating conditions for a speed reducer,
be sure to include any environmental conditions that are
appropriate to the application. Then select the type of
reducer.
A singlestage spur gear offers high efficiency and capacity
but can't achieve large speed reductions. So designers often
select multiplestage reducers, using the same gears in each
stage to minimize tooling. Because torque in the last stage
is highest, this approach causes all earlier stages to be
Plastic gears powered by a step
motor drive the hands and date
oversized. Splitting a multiplestage reducer into multiple
numerals of a Seiko wrist paths, as with planetary designs, can shrink its size. Design Engineering
watch. The molded plastic
gears reduce the number of
Essentials
The types of shafts and bearings carrying the gears can
parts from 250 to just 30. The
gear linking the second and affect gear center distance. Ball or needle bearings
minute hands is just 0.12 mm The Essentials of CAD/CAM/CAE
accurately control gear position, reducing variations in
thick. It is molded of LCP with
crystalline microfiber for high center distance. Plastic gears with moldedin shafts tend to The Essentials of Electronics and Electrical
strength and mold flow. The be out of round, causing increased center distance Equipment
gears driving the hour hand and
calendar day each replace variation.
several parts. They are molded The Essentials of Fastening, Joining and
in acetal copolymer. Assembly
If the gear housing material differs from that of the gears,
thermal expansion and the effects of moisture and The Essentials of Fluid Power
chemical absorption will alter gear alignment and center distance. These differences may
also cause gear teeth to jam. A housing material with the same thermal and moisture The Essentials of Material Selection
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expansion as the plastic gears inside will minimize these problems. But plastic housings The Essentials of Motion Control
are poor heat conductors and may cause gears to run hotter.
The Essentials of Mechanical Systems
Adding functional elements to molded plastic gears reduces the number of parts, but Designatronics
makes it more difficult to hold tolerances, and causes outofround gears.
Xylem Inc.
Choosing materials
Wittenstein
When selecting plastic gear materials, look for those with sufficient strength and stiffness
to handle the expected loads. Then make sure that any changes in dimensions and
frictional characteristics due to environmental conditions are acceptable for the Connect With Us
application. Material suppliers can provide a lot of useful information on these properties
for various plastics. But you may still need to test prototype gears under realistic
operating and environmental conditions to verify that they'll perform as intended.
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Gear teeth must have adequate strength and fatigue endurance to carry normal and
shock loads. Fatigue data from gear tests will help verify adequate bending fatigue
strength at the tooth root. Fatigue or SN curves typically show root bending stress as a
function of the number of operating cycles. These curves should show the effects of
temperature.
When such curves aren't available, use standard fatigue data as described in ASTM D671.
Such data usually apply only to ambient temperatures.
The stiffness and deflection of meshing teeth depend on the elastic modulus. A high
modulus (rigidity) minimizes tooth deflection, whereas a low modulus reduces shock
loads and noise.
The elastic modulus depends largely on temperature, loading rate, humidity, and
chemical exposure. Tensile tests or Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA) measurements
give temperaturerelated data. But the effects of the other variables are not as well
defined, and usually require testing.
Dimensionally stable materials help maintain gear tooth contact ratio, tooth tip clearance,
and overall geometry. Factors that affect plastic part dimensions include temperature,
moisture, chemical exposure, and manufacturing process. The coefficient of linear
thermal expansion (CLTE) is commonly available, and ranges widely for different
materials. But it may not accurately represent temperatureinduced dimensional changes.
Therefore, you may need to conduct tests to determine these changes.
Moisture data are usually expressed as the percent of moisture absorption rather than as
a dimensional change. Dividing the percent of moisture absorbed by four gives the
approximate dimensional change in percent. Because plastic gears may encounter a
variety of chemicals and lubricants, the effects of specific chemicals often require testing.
Wear is a primary concern for plastic gears that run without lubrication. These gears tend
to run hot at low loads, causing tooth wear failures. Therefore, they should be made from
materials with high wear resistance and good lubricity.
Gear wear information appears in fatigue or SN curves in terms of contact stress as a
function of life cycles. Wear rate may be affected by temperature and moisture, so gears
must be tested under these application conditions.
Bringing in reinforcements. Fiber reinforcement such as glass, carbon, or aramid
improves the mechanical properties of plastics. Glassreinforced plastics used for dry
running gears usually contain a lubricant such as PTFE. Carbon fiber reinforced plastics
may also contain a lubricant. Aramid fibers are used mostly to reduce wear.
Long fiber reinforced plastics impart high strength and fatigue endurance. They also
shrink uniformly and consistently, which improves gear molding accuracy. Such
reinforcements are often used in higher power, lubricated systems where excessive tooth
deflection may be a problem.
Preliminary sizing
With the reducer configuration and materials selected, perform a preliminary sizing of
each gear set. Designers may be tempted to stop the design process at this point,
proceeding to specifications, drawings, and making prototypes. But only those designs
with minimal load and accuracy requirements operating in a narrow moisture and
temperature range are likely to succeed with this approach.
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Setting tolerances
Both gear quality and manufacturing tolerances must be selected. Higher quality gears, as
defined in AGMA and ISO standards, run quieter and have lower stresses, but cost more.
The allowable tolerance variations for gears, bearings, shafts, and housing, in
combination with dimensional variations, must give satisfactory clearances, tooth loads,
and contact ratios under all conditions. One way to check this is to analyze tight and
open mesh conditions.
Tight and open mesh
After preliminary sizing and tolerance selection, the real gear design effort begins.
Successful drive design with plastic gears requires analyzing both tight and open mesh
maximum and minimum tooth engagement conditions.
To determine these mesh
conditions, first calculate the range
of center distance variation at
ambient temperature when the
gearbox is assembled, using
equations from gear design
Plastic gears — even those made from the best materials — textbooks or software. This
expand and contract with fluctuations in temperature and
moisture. When the gears swell, the mesh tightens; and when includes the total composite
they shrink, the mesh opens or loosens. Designers need to tolerance of the gears, along with
account for these variations and their effect on backlash,
contact ratio, and tooth load.<br>Select figure to enlarge.
bearing, shaft, and housing
tolerances, runout, and clearances.
Then superimpose dimensional changes caused by environmental conditions
(temperature and moisture). Such changes can be determined with help from the
material supplier.
A tightly meshing gear set operates at its minimum center distance while the gear
dimensions are such that they maximize tooth engagement. This condition is
characterized by maximum gear diameter and tooth thickness, minimum tip radius
(needed for molding), and maximum root diameter. With a tight mesh, verify that the
gear set still has adequate clearance and backlash to prevent tip interference and stalling.
After making any design modifications at tight mesh, examine the open mesh condition.
Here, gears operate at maximum center distance and their dimensions minimize tooth
engagement. They have minimum outside diameter and tooth thickness, maximum tip
radius, and minimum root diameter. In this case, the main concern is the contact ratio. If
it's less than one, change the pitch or tooth proportions, or adjust tolerances to reduce the
variation in center distance (and thus the contact ratio) between tight and open mesh
conditions.
On to the prototype
Validating the gear set design can only come from realistic prototype testing. For best
results, make sure that both the prototype tooling and molding conditions mirror the
production environment. Additionally, the prototype gear sets must be tested under
conditions that truly represent the application.
Plastic materials for gears
Crystalline type plastics generally provide characteristics that ensure reliable gear
operation, as well as consistent shrinkage needed for precision molding. These materials
include nylon 6/6, polyacetal, polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), thermoplastic polyester, long
fiber reinforced plastic and liquid crystal polymers (LCP).
Most plastic gears are made from nylon and acetal. But nylon absorbs moisture with
resultant changes in properties and dimensions. Acetal copolymers provide longterm
dimensional stability as well as high fatigue and chemical resistance over a wide
temperature range.
Thermoplastic polyesters are also more dimensionally stable than nylon. Where no
lubricant is used, both nylon and polyester provide good lubricity when mated with
polyacetal.
Liquid crystal polymers give high dimensional stability and chemical resistance, plus low
mold shrinkage and high accuracy. To date they have been used only for small gears
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under light loads, such as watch gears.
Linear polyphenylene sulfides have high temperature and chemical resistance and good
fatigue life. They work well in highly loaded parts molded with fine details.
Long fiber reinforced plastics provide good dimensional repeatability and shrinkage
consistency in large parts. Moreover their high stiffness, plus creep and impact resistance
make them suitable for gear housings.
Noncrystalline plastics have found limited success for gear applications. ABS is suitable
only for lightly loaded gears. Polycarbonate usually requires glass reinforcement or a solid
lubricant such as PTFE to obtain satisfactory lubricity, chemical resistance, and fatigue
properties.
Why plastic?
For drive designers, plastic gears offer several benefits including design flexibility, reduced
noise, and the ability to operate without lubrication. Other benefits include lower cost and
weight, higher efficiency, (improved accuracy), and chemical resistance.
Design flexibility. The design opportunities that plastic gears afford are a major
advantage. They can be molded in shapes difficult to machine in metal. Other functional
elements such as springs and pawls can be molded into them, thereby consolidating parts
and trimming the cost, weight, and complexity of geared speed reducers.
Cost. They are molded in high volumes at low cost, typically onehalf to onetenth that of
stamped, machined, or powder metal gears. They're usually ready to use asmolded and
require no finishing.
Weight. Plastics inherently weigh less, typically 15 to 20% as much as steel, but plastic
gears must be larger to transmit the same power.
Noise. Compared with metal, plastic gears run much quieter. Depending on the
application, their sound level compares to that of metal gears one or two AGMA numbers
higher in quality. Plastic gear teeth deform, compensating for noiseproducing gear
misalignment and tooth errors, and the material absorbs impacts that would otherwise
cause running noise.
Efficiency. A low coefficient of friction means less horsepower wasted in heat. Plastic
gears also lend themselves to efficient designs such as splitpath planetary drives.
Lubrication. Inherent lubricity and chemical resistance mean plastic gears can be used
with or without lubrication as needed for specific applications.
Accuracy. With consistent material quality, and accurate molding process control,
plastic gears can achieve high precision up to AGMA Quality 10.
Durability. Chemical and corrosion resistance typically exceeds that of metal gears,
especially in wet applications.
Zan Smith is a staff engineer, Ticona LLG, Summit, N.J. | Related Article: Plastic
gear design — Doing it right
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