Spur Gears: Types, Uses, Benefits and Manufacturing
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Introduction
This article contains information regarding spur gears, their use, and their benefits.
You will learn more about topics such as:
What is a Spur Gear?
Types of Spur Gears
Uses for Spur Gears
How Spur Gears are Made
Benefits of Spur Gears
And Much More ...
Chapter One – What is a Spur Gear?
A spur gear refers to a cylindrical gear featuring teeth that are parallel to its axis and is used for transmitting mechanical motion while controlling speed, power, and torque between shafts. As the most prevalent kind of cylindrical gear, spur gears have a simple design characterized by straight teeth evenly distributed along the gear's perimeter. Although spur gear designs can vary in gear hub shape and thickness, these differences do not alter the gear's face.
Spur gears are extensively employed in mechanical setups due to their efficiency in adjusting speed and torque by transferring power and motion between shafts. Their design is well-suited for situations that necessitate rapid and efficient alterations in motion, speed, and torque. Typically, spur gears are configured in series to accomplish these adjustments with high efficacy.
Chapter Two – What are the different types of spur gears?
Spur gears are among the most widely used mechanical components in power transmission systems. Their effectiveness in transferring rotary motion and torque is influenced by gear design, construction, and material quality. The manufacturing process for spur gears requires the use of high-grade materials, including alloy steel, stainless steel, brass, bronze, and engineering plastics to ensure durability, load capacity, and low wear rates. Adherence to precise dimensional specifications during gear fabrication is essential for achieving optimal performance, minimizing vibration, and maximizing energy efficiency in gear trains and motion control applications.
Spur gears are available in a broad range of sizes, from miniature precision gears used in instrumentation and robotics to large industrial gears deployed in conveyors, motors, and heavy machinery. Despite their size variation, all spur gears share key characteristics and functional elements, including:
Pitch Circle
The pitch circle is an imaginary reference circle that defines the positioning of a spur gear’s teeth. It serves as a critical geometric baseline for gear design and calculation, representing the distance from one tooth face to the next. The area above the pitch circle comprises the addendum (tooth height above), while below is the dedendum (tooth depth below). In a correctly meshed gear train, the pitch circles of mating gears are tangent, ensuring precise power transmission and minimizing backlash.
Diametral Pitch
The diametral pitch (DP) is a key metric in gear engineering, quantifying the number of teeth per inch of the gear’s pitch diameter. It enables engineers to determine gear compatibility for smooth meshing. The selection of the correct diametral pitch is crucial for achieving desired gear ratios, increasing power density, and ensuring noise reduction in high-speed applications.
Pitch Diameter
Pitch diameter refers to the diameter of the pitch circle, a fundamental parameter in the calculation of center distance and gear module. The pitch diameter determines gear size, load distribution, and is essential when selecting compatible spur gears for gearboxes or coupling drives.
Center Distance
Center distance denotes the linear measurement between the rotational axes of two meshing gears. It is calculated by summing the pitch radii of both gears (or, equivalently, their pitch diameters, divided by two). Proper calculation of center distance is essential for efficient gear engagement, preventing tooth interference and promoting longer gear life in gear trains and motion systems.
Spur Gear Addendum
The addendum in a spur gear denotes the radial distance from the pitch circle to the crest of a gear tooth (top land). Proper addendum sizing impacts tooth strength and prevents undercutting or premature wear during power transmission.
Gear Dedendum
The dedendum measures the radial depth of a tooth below the pitch circle down to the bottom land of the gear. It exceeds the addendum to provide necessary clearance for engaging gears, reducing the risk of jamming and ensuring effective lubrication and load carrying capacity.
Outside Diameter (OD)
The outside diameter, or OD, is the total diameter of a spur gear measured from the outermost tips of the gear teeth, passing through its center. This measurement is essential for ensuring proper gear alignment within assemblies, as well as for calculating maximum tooth size and designing casing or housing around gear components.
Root Diameter
The root diameter is the diameter of the circle that runs along the bottom of the gear teeth (root), which is critical for determining the strength and fatigue resistance of the gear. Calculating root diameter also aids in evaluating minimum shaft size for gear mounting.
Pressure Angle
The pressure angle is a vital design parameter in involute spur gears, defined as the angle between the line of action and a tangent to the pitch point. Common pressure angles are 20° and 14.5°, both affecting tooth profile, noise generation, and load transfer efficiency. A higher pressure angle results in stronger, more robust teeth but may increase friction and noise.
Whole Depth
The whole depth is the total radial measurement from the tip to the root of a gear tooth, calculated as the sum of the addendum and dedendum. This dimension determines the total engagement depth between meshing gear teeth, impacting overall gear strength and ensuring compatibility in multi-stage gear train systems.
Module
The module (modulus) refers to the metric system equivalent of the diametral pitch, expressing the size of the gear teeth and measured in millimeters. A critical gear design parameter, the module enables gears with the same module to mesh seamlessly. In precision applications, choosing the proper module ensures quiet operation, efficient torque transfer, and minimal wear. The module of a spur gear is the pitch diameter divided by the number of teeth (or calculated by dividing the pitch by π). Larger module values translate to larger, heavier-duty teeth suitable for industrial transmission gearboxes and high-torque applications.
Below, the left gear displays a standard involute profile, the center a higher pressure angle, and the right features notably larger module size—showcasing how tooth shape, module, and pressure angle influence gear performance.
Spur Gear Types
Planetary Spur Gear Drive
Planetary spur gear drives, part of the broader category of planetary gear systems (epicyclic gearing), incorporate a sun gear, multiple planet gears, and an encircling ring gear. The sun gear serves as the central rotator, while the planet gears orbit around it inside the internally toothed ring gear. This planetary configuration creates a highly compact gear arrangement with exceptional power density, offering the ability to transmit large amounts of torque in a small footprint. By changing which gear is fixed and which is driven, variable speed reduction, torque multiplication, and directional changes are easily achieved.
Planetary gearboxes and spur planetary gear assemblies are widely used in robotics, industrial automation, electric vehicle transmissions, wind turbines, and high-precision servo mechanisms because of their efficiency, durability, smooth operation, and flexible gear ratio adjustment.
(from STD Precision Gear and Instrument Inc.)
External Spur Gear
An external spur gear is the most common type, with straight-cut teeth machined on the cylinder's outer surface. When paired in a gear train, external spur gears transmit rotary motion between parallel shafts, with mating gears spinning in opposite directions. These gears are the foundation of countless gearboxes, mechanical timers, appliance motors, and speed reducers due to their simple geometry, high mechanical efficiency, and easy manufacturability.
Internal Spur Gear
Internal spur gears feature teeth cut into the inside diameter of a cylinder or ring. As a key component in planetary gear assemblies and some offset gear drives, internal gears mesh with external pinions, causing driving and driven gears to rotate in the same direction. This configuration is often used in compact gear reducers, planetary drive systems, and specialized timing mechanisms for improved alignment and smoother torque delivery.
Anti-Backlash Gear
An anti-backlash spur gear assembly is engineered to eliminate play (backlash) between meshing gear teeth, which is a critical requirement for precision positioning systems, CNC machinery, and robotics. The assembly consists of a fixed gear and a floating gear mounted on the same hub or shaft and separated by a spring—extension, compression, or torsion—that continuously applies pressure, maintaining constant tooth engagement. The resulting zero-backlash connection ensures outstanding repeatability, accuracy, and quietness in sensitive motion control environments.
Anti-backlash, zero-backlash, and precision spring-loaded gears are available in a variety of configurations to meet the demands of highly accurate applications such as semiconductor manufacturing, optical equipment, and scientific instrumentation. Minimizing gear backlash improves system performance, motion repeatability, and the quality of automation processes.
(from STD Precision Gear and Instrument Inc.)
Type A Spur Gear
A Type A spur gear (blank gear) lacks a hub and is flat, with a central pilot hole for mounting or machining. Its simple, compact form makes it ideal for custom modifications or as a stock gear blank for further engineering. Type A gears are preferred in systems where shaft space is limited or when the hub would interfere with adjacent components.
Pin Hub Spur Gear
A pin hub spur gear is equipped with a set screw (or pin) for secure, non-slip attachment to a shaft. Attachment methods include the use of dowel pins, spring pins, roll pins, or taper pins, each chosen for strength and ease of installation. Pin hub designs are valued for their ability to deliver reliable torque transmission in high-speed applications, while precise hole sizing prevents gear slippage or misalignment—even during repetitive or oscillatory motion.
Keyway Spur Gear
Keyway spur gears feature a slot (keyway) cut into their bore that mates with a corresponding shaft key. This design locks the shaft and gear together, ensuring precise phase relationship and eliminating slippage—a crucial advantage in power transmission systems, gearboxes, machine tools, industrial mixers, and conveyor drives. Keyed gear assemblies sustain high shock loads and operate reliably in heavy-duty mechanical environments.
Spline Spur Gear
Spline spur gears possess parallel ridges (splines) in the bore that align with matching grooves or teeth on a drive shaft. This connection maximizes torque transfer and allows axial movement if necessary, commonly used in automotive transmissions, aerospace actuators, industrial pumps, and couplings requiring high accuracy and durability. Spline varieties include straight, involute, and serrated profiles—each designed for specific load and alignment needs.
Split Hub Spur Gear
A split hub spur gear incorporates an axial split and a clamping mechanism, allowing it to be installed or repositioned on a shaft quickly without disassembling the system. These gears are ideal for equipment requiring frequent adjustments or replacements, such as packaging machinery, printing presses, and material handling systems. The trade-off is that split hub gears occupy more radial space, which may limit their use in ultra-compact designs.
Set Screw Spur Gear
Set screw spur gears are designed with a threaded hole (or holes) in their hub. By tightening the set screw against a flat on the shaft, these gears achieve a firm, reliable connection with the shaft, preventing unwanted rotational slippage. Set screw gears are widely used in small machinery, clock mechanisms, medical devices, and office automation equipment due to their ease of installation and adjustability.
Spur Gear Rack and Pinion
A spur gear rack and pinion system is engineered to convert rotary motion into linear motion and vice versa—making it a cornerstone technology for mechanical actuators, steering systems, CNC machine tools, and industrial automation. The cylindrical pinion meshes with a linear toothed rack, providing smooth, predictable motion and high load-handling capabilities over extended travel lengths. Rack and pinion drives offer minimal backlash and high positioning accuracy, ideal for applications requiring precise linear positioning in robotics, elevators, or automotive steering mechanisms.
Plastic Spur Gears With Metal Core
Plastic spur gears with metal cores combine the lightweight, corrosion-resistant, and noise-dampening benefits of advanced engineering plastics (such as nylon or acetal) with the superior strength and dimensional stability provided by a metal insert. These hybrid gears are popular in food processing equipment, medical devices, electronic appliances, and gear-driven printers—where low friction, low noise, and resistance to moisture or chemicals are vital. High-performance thermoplastics may also outperform metal gears in certain wear and lubrication-free settings, while the metal core ensures zero expansion under load and extends operational lifespan.
How to Select the Right Spur Gear for Your Application
When choosing a spur gear for your specific application, several technical factors must be considered to ensure long-term reliability and cost-effective performance. Important selection criteria include required gear ratio, torque capacity, shaft alignment, operating speed, material compatibility, maintenance needs, required accuracy, and noise/vibration considerations. For high-load and continuous-duty applications, gear designers should evaluate the pressure angle, module or diametral pitch, addendum modification, lubrication method, and whether a standard or custom gear solution best fits the system constraints.
Working with reputable spur gear manufacturers and suppliers ensures access to expert guidance, quality certifications, precise engineering, and a wide range of standard and custom options. By understanding the properties and applications of each gear type, engineers and buyers can confidently select the right spur gear, optimizing mechanical power transmission and reducing downtime in industrial systems.
Leading Manufacturers and Suppliers
Chapter Three – How Spur Gears are Made?
Spur gears can be manufactured using various techniques, including forging, blank machining, cutting, casting, powder metallurgy, and computer numerical control (CNC) machining. Precision is crucial in all these methods, as even minor inaccuracies can hinder the proper meshing of gears. For applications requiring high performance, gears are typically forged, cut, or machined to exacting standards.
Spur gears are among the oldest mechanical devices, dating back to ancient Greek and Roman times. More advanced designs emerged in the 17th century with the first calculations of involute gear velocity ratios. The industrial revolution saw the introduction of form and rotating cutters, eventually leading to the development of the hobbing process.
Manufacturing of Spur Gears
Gear Blanks
All cutting processes for spur gears start with a gear blank. The quality of the final spur gear is largely determined by the material used for the gear blank. High-quality spur gears are produced from premium materials, typically starting with a pie-shaped billet.
Milling Process
Milling is a versatile process used to manufacture various types of gears, including spur gears. This technique involves a milling machine equipped with a form cutter that shapes the gear teeth by cutting through the gear blank. During form milling, the workpiece is positioned to allow the cutter to move perpendicular to the gear's axial length at the appropriate depth. After each pass, the cutter is retracted, and the gear blank is rotated to prepare for the subsequent cut. The form cutter is designed to match the tooth space profile.
Hobbing Process
The hobbing process involves the simultaneous rotation of the gear blank and the hob, allowing them to mesh as the gear teeth are cut. The hob, which has multiple cutting edges, is fed inward to achieve the desired tooth depth. This process is known for its speed and precision.
During hobbing, the gear blank rotates around its vertical axis while the hob moves horizontally. The teeth are shaped by cutting facets that align with the hob's gashes, resulting in a highly accurate tooth profile and tight tolerances.
Gear Shaping
Gear shaping is a method used to produce internal spur gears. It employs a cutting tool resembling a gear with sharp edges that moves axially against the inner surface of the workpiece. This cutting gear rotates at the same speed as the gear being manufactured. The process involves multiple passes of the cutting tool until the required tooth depth is achieved. Gear shaping is relatively slow, with the tool and workpiece rotating while the tool oscillates.
Gear shaping is versatile and can produce various types of spur gears with high-quality surface finishes both internally and externally. The shaping tool used is akin to either a cylindrical gear or a rack-type gear.
Gear Stamping Process
Stamping involves placing a metal sheet between an upper and a lower die. The upper die is pressed down onto the lower die, cutting the gear shape from the sheet. This method is cost-effective and efficient for producing lightweight spur gears suitable for medium-duty applications without heavy loads. However, stamping is limited by the thickness of the metal, which ranges from 0.25 mm (0.010 inches) to 3 mm (0.125 inches).
Cold Drawing
Cold drawing can be used to form various tooth configurations. In this process, a metal bar is drawn, pulled, pushed, or extruded through a series of dies, with the final die shaping the teeth of the gear. As the bar moves through the dies, it is compressed to match the shape of each die. This process subjects the bar to significant surface stress.
After passing through the dies, the resulting bars, known as pinion rods, are placed in screw machines to complete the individual gears. Cold drawing enhances the gear's strength while reducing its ductility. Achieving the desired shape may require several dies aligned in sequence.
Spur Gear Roll Forming
The roll forming of spur gears requires several rotations of the forming rolls where the rolls are fed slowly during several revolutions. Top lands of roll formed teeth may not be smooth or perfect in shape. Since the top land does not affect the action of the teeth, this deformity does not cause any difficulty.
Spur gears that are roll formed need to have at least 18 teeth or more, as gears with fewer teeth tend to perform poorly.
Forging Spur Gears
Forging is primarily used in the manufacturing of spur gears to produce gear blanks for subsequent cutting processes. This technique includes methods such as open die forging, closed die forging, and hot upset forging. Additionally, forging is utilized to create precision forged spur gears that often require little to no additional finishing.
Precision forging of gears uses closed die hot and cold forging. In the majority of cases, spur gears are shaped with one blow with the velocity of the ram supplying the major forging force. Pancaking is used to produce spur gears, which causes lateral flow in the die. Of the various types of gears, spur gears are the easiest to forge. Low alloy steel, brass, aluminum alloys, stainless steel, and titanium are the metals used in the forging process.
The goal of precision forging is to produce gears at near net shape, which means that the gears will not need finishing after being forged. With hot forging, there is very little waste and involves casting or injection molding. Compared to cut gears, forged spur gears have greater load carrying capacity than cut gears. The grain flow in forged spur gears follows the contour of the teeth.
The processes described above are a few of the methods that are used to manufacture spur gears. The choice of how a gear is made is dependent on several factors including the type of material, time involved, use of the spur gear, and the manufacturer. What has not been included is the production of plastic gears, which can be molded, cast, or extruded.
Chapter Four – What materials are used to manufacture spur gears?
The strength, durability, and performance of spur gears are significantly influenced by their construction and material quality. While design plays a crucial role, the material used is essential for producing a reliable product. Spur gears can be made from various materials, including steel, brass, plastics, aluminum alloys, stainless steel, and titanium. Among these, hardened steel is the most commonly used due to its ability to be precisely honed and to resist premature wear.
Each material used for manufacturing spur gears serves a specific purpose. Plastic spur gears are known for their quiet operation, whereas steel and stainless steel gears offer greater durability and longevity. The choice of material depends on the torque requirements of the application. Plastic gears, for instance, are unsuitable for high-torque applications where more robust materials are needed.
Spur Gear Materials
Plastic Materials
Various plastics are used to manufacture plastic spur gears, including polyacetal (POM), nylon, polyethylene (UPE), and polyetheretherketone (PEEK), which is a type of ketone polymer. Plastic spur gears are favored for their lightweight nature, rust resistance, cost-effectiveness, and low-friction operation. These characteristics make them suitable for applications in food production, electronics, toys, and medical devices.
Polyacetal (POM)
Polyacetal (POM) is a highly durable plastic often used for manufacturing spur gears. It is easily molded and shaped, and once hardened, POM exhibits exceptional stiffness, strength, and abrasion resistance. Its combination of malleability and resilience makes POM an excellent choice for producing robust and reliable spur gears.
Cast Iron
Cast iron, like POM, can be molded into any shape and is resistant to rust. The composition of cast iron involves the use of different ingredients each of which gives cast iron a different degree of strength and durability. Cast iron is commonly used to produce machine parts because of its low cost, rust resistance, and ability to be easily molded and shaped. It can be unbelievably strong or very weak, depending on the types of added mixtures.
Stainless Steel
Stainless steel is available in various levels, grades, and characteristics, all containing at least 11% chromium. Other alloying elements can include nickel, manganese, silicon, phosphorus, sulfur, and nitrogen. Stainless steels are categorized into types such as ferritic (magnetic), austenitic (non-magnetic), martensitic, and precipitation-hardened. Ferritic stainless steels are part of the 400 series, while austenitic stainless steels are found in the 300 series.
The most widely used stainless steel is grade 304, which includes 18% chromium and 8% nickel. For spur gear manufacturing, grade 303 is preferred due to its machinability, owing to its 17% chromium content and 1% sulfur. The addition of sulfur improves the material's machinability.
For applications requiring corrosion resistance, grade 316 is often the best choice. It contains 16% chromium, 10% nickel, and 2% molybdenum. Grades 303 and 316 are the most common stainless steels used for producing spur gears.
Steel in Spur Gears
Steel is an alloy composed of iron, carbon, and various other elements. It is categorized into four main types: carbon, alloy, stainless, and tool steel. Among these, carbon steel is the most commonly used for manufacturing spur gears due to its machinability, wear resistance, hardenability, availability, and cost-effectiveness.
Carbon steel is further classified into mild, medium carbon, and high carbon categories. Mild carbon steel contains less than 0.3% carbon, while medium and high carbon steels have progressively higher carbon content. Each type is suitable for spur gear production.
To enhance hardness, carbon steel is often subjected to induction hardening or laser hardening, achieving a Rockwell Hardness scale rating of 55. The addition of various alloys can further strengthen carbon steel, improve machinability, and provide corrosion resistance. All forms of alloyed carbon steel are employed in the manufacturing of spur gears.
Aluminum Alloys
Aluminum alloys are often used to manufacture spur gears in applications where a high strength-to-weight ratio is essential. Aluminum is approximately one-third the weight of steel and offers good corrosion resistance. Although aluminum alloys are more expensive than steel, they are less costly than stainless steel and are relatively easy to machine, which helps offset their higher cost.
Common aluminum alloys for spur gear production include 2024, 6061, and 7075. Alloy 2024 is similar to bronze due to its high copper content, which enhances strength but reduces corrosion resistance. Alloy 7075, on the other hand, includes zinc and magnesium, which increase strength and improve resistance to load stress.
These aluminum alloys—2024, 6061, and 7075—can be heat-treated to improve their hardness and are widely used in the manufacture of spur gears.
Chapter Five – What are the common uses for spur gears?
Spur gears are among the most commonly used types of gears, found in a wide variety of applications. They play several crucial roles, with one of the most important being gear reduction for mechanical and motorized devices. When a spur gear is mounted on a parallel shaft, it meshes seamlessly with other gears.
Because the teeth of spur gears are parallel to the rotational axis, they do not generate axial thrust, facilitating easy mounting with ball bearings. Spur gears are also cost-effective, precision-engineered components that are straightforward to use and install.
Spur Gear Uses
Increasing or Decreasing Power
Spur gears are essential for adjusting torque or power in various devices and are commonly found in applications such as washing machines, blenders, clothes dryers, construction equipment, pumps, and conveyors. In power stations, interconnected spur gears, known as gear trains, are utilized to convert energy from sources like wind or hydroelectric power into electrical energy. In a gear train, all gears have teeth of the same size, and adjacent gears rotate in opposite directions.
Changing Speed
Spur gears are ideal for applications that require speed adjustments, as they effectively transfer motion and power between shafts. This capability allows them to alter the operating speed of machinery, multiply torque, and provide precise control in positioning systems. Consequently, spur gears are commonly used in clocks to regulate the movement of the second, minute, and hour hands.
Washing Machines
Spur gears play a crucial role in controlling the speed of various applications, including washing machines. In these machines, spur gears regulate the rotation and torque based on the selected cycle, ensuring the appropriate motion for each wash setting.
Road Roller
In a road roller, a set of spur gears converts the high rotational speed of the engine into a slower speed suitable for the wheels. This gear reduction enables the road roller to effectively move its heavy roller and perform its tasks efficiently.
Sports Car
In a sports car, spur gears adjust the high rotational speed of the engine into a slower speed suitable for the wheels. Since sports cars are lightweight, they require less rotational force to drive the wheels. By converting the engine's speed, spur gears allow the wheels to turn faster with reduced turning force.
Conveyor Systems
Conveyor systems have to move at a controlled speed, producing high torque. Spur gears are used as a reliable means for altering the torque of the system. In some types, a self-locking worm gear is used to power and move the spur gear, where the worm gear is the drive gear.
Radio Dials
When tuning a radio, precision is crucial to select the exact frequency. Spur gears provide the accuracy needed to fine-tune the radio dial, ensuring the device is set to the desired channel with precision.
How to Choose the Right Spur Gear
Torque and Speed
Calculating the torque and speed of a system is crucial for selecting the appropriate spur gear. This involves determining the input speed and torque, as well as the output speed and torque, to ensure the gear meets the requirements of the application.
Identifying Through Pitch
Pitch is a key specification for spur gears and includes diametrical pitch, circular pitch, and module. In the United States, the most commonly used pitch designation is diametrical pitch (DP). To simplify gear selection, a standardized set of DP values is available.
Teeth Geometry
The geometry of gear teeth is determined by factors such as pitch, tooth depth, and pressure angle. Accurate calculations using complex formulas are required to determine the precise geometry of the teeth.
Idler Gear
Idler gears are utilized to alter the direction of rotation in the output gear. When designing spur gears, it's crucial to determine if an idler gear is needed for the specific application.
Gear Trains
Gear trains are assemblies of multiple spur gears that transfer power between shafts. They consist of gears with similar shapes and teeth configurations, facilitating effective power transmission.
Stress Calculations
Stress calculations are essential for evaluating the performance and safety of a spur gear system. These calculations help ensure that the gear system can withstand operational forces and stresses.
Type of Material
The choice of material significantly affects the longevity, strength, reliability, and endurance of a spur gear. This is a primary consideration in the design and selection process, carefully assessed by engineers and designers.
Chapter Six – What are the benefits of using spur gears?
Spur gears are among the most widely used gears, found in countless applications ranging from simple toys to sophisticated industrial machinery. Their straightforward design features parallel teeth arranged uniformly around a cylindrical body, which fits over a shaft. This versatile design can be easily adapted to meet the specific requirements of various applications.
Spur Gear Benefits
Simple Design
The compact and straightforward design of spur gears makes them easy to create, design, and configure. They can fit into tight and restricted spaces with minimal limitations.
Precision and Accuracy
One of the primary reasons for the widespread use of spur gears is their exceptional precision and accuracy. They are capable of increasing and decreasing speed with consistent velocity and minimal error.
Gear Reliability
Spur gears are highly reliable and rarely fail during operation. Their durability and strength make them resistant to slipping, breaking, or malfunctioning.
Production Cost
The simplicity of spur gears significantly reduces their production cost. Their straightforward manufacturing process allows for the rapid production of large quantities with minimal waste.
Spur Gear Efficiency
Efficiency is closely tied to reliability. Spur gears can transfer substantial amounts of power across multiple gear trains with minimal to no power loss during their operational lifespan.
Straight Teeth
The straight teeth of spur gears prevent axial thrust, as power is transmitted in a direct line aligned with the pitch angle of the gear’s teeth.
Conclusion
A spur gear is a cylindrical toothed gear with teeth parallel to the shaft and is used to transfer mechanical motion as well as control speed, power, and torque between shafts.
The performance of a spur gear is determined by its design, construction, and materials. An essential part of the development of a spur gear is how they are fabricated, which includes the use of high quality materials and exacting and precise dimensional compliance that is used to determine a spur gear’s function.
There are several methods used to produce spur gears, which include forging, blank machining, cutting, casting, powder metallurgy, and computer numeric controlled manufacturing to name a few. Regardless of the process, dimensional accuracy and adherence to tolerances is critical since the slightest error can prevent the proper meshing between gears. In cases where exceptional performance is required, spur gears are forged, cut, or machined.
Nearly every form of material used in the manufacture of other products can be used to make spur gears, including steel, brass, plastics, aluminum alloys, grades of stainless steel, and titanium. Of the wide array of choices, hardened steel is the most commonly used since it is honed to prevent premature wear.
Spur gears are one of the most popular types of gears and are used in an endless number of applications, from simple toys to complex industrial machinery. They have a simple straight tool design that can be configured and shaped to fit the needs of any application.
Leading Manufacturers and Suppliers
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