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Michigan | Wisconsin | China | Australia | England | India we’ve created a monster. Applied Process Inc. makes bigger parts, better. Only Applied Process has the furnace – and the finesse – to produce austempered iron and steel parts that weigh in excess of 10 tons. Parts that are stronger, lighter, quieter, more wear resistant. Parts that contribute to more energy efficient operations in countless applications, from wind energy to forestry to rail transportation. Parts that increase performance while decreasing overall cost of production. We call them Monster Parts. Contact us to learn more. Increased Capacity! applied process sm inc www.appliedprocess.com Adds Andrew Ulrich from Thermotech, located in Hopkins, Minnesota, “Though we are not acutely aware of how the machined gear market is doing, we can say the molded gear market is strong and growing.” “Especially from a custom gear/gear tooth perspective,” adds Bruce A. Billmeyer, president/owner, Plastic PowerDrive Products, LLC, located in Elk Grove Village, Illinois. “Although a portion of the U.S. molded gear market does come from foreign sources, the innovation still resides here in the United States. This innovation comes in the form of materials, gear combinations with other components and gear assembly techniques.” ABA-PGT, Inc. specializes in both external and internal spur and helical plastic gears in addition to worm, face and bevel. Glenn Ellis, senior gear engineer, ABA-PGT, says, “Plastic gears have a place in the industry just as metal gears do. They both have their own marketplace, this being size, strength, weight and even the quantity required.” There’s always a push for reducing cost and weight and that continues to increase the interest in plastic gearing, according to David Sheridan, senior design engineer at Ticona. “Certainly lately, with all the bells and whistles added to automobiles outside of the drivetrain, we’re seeing huge gains in automotive applications. Many plastic gear applications were once found only in luxury car models, but these features are now being integrated into standard models as well.” “We’re not back to pre-recession numbers but business is good,” adds John Winzeler, president of Winzeler Gear in Harwood Heights, Illinois. “Today there are more opportunities for plastic gears, especially where both sound and cost reduction are a factor. More and more, we’re getting interest in transmitting power, not just motion.” A Tale of Two Segments Plastic gears can be cut like their metal counterparts and machined for high precision with close tolerances. Plastic cut gears can also be utilized for the development of prototypes. Injection molded plastic gears are fast, economical and can cost significantly less than machined, stamped or powder metal gears. When determining which type to consider for a specific application, costs, quantity, quality and performance must be considered. “Historically, molded gear advantages have been considered to be lightweight, quiet, resistant to corrosion, and may be used without external lubrication. While they held these properties, plastic gears were also considered to be less accurate and flimsy. There has been significant progress on many fronts to address these disadvantages,” Ulrich at Thermotech says. “First, considerable work developing engineering materials and the understanding of the mechanical properties of these materials has been completed. Secondly, computer programs have been developed along with routine tooth proportion manage- 34 GEARTECHNOLOGY March/April 2012 www.geartechnology.com
DTR. Your best choice for high quality gear cutting tools. DTR is a world class supplier of the finest high performance long-life gear manufacturing tools, for small and large gear cutting applications. Established in 1976, we are one of the world’s largest producers of cutting tools, shipping to over 20 countries. DTR offers a full line of gear cutting tools including: • Hobs • Chamfering and Deburring Tools • Carbide Hobs • Broaches • Shaper Cutters • Master Gears • Milling Cutters We can produce virtually any tool you need for auto, aerospace, wind, mining, construction and other industrial gears. Every tool is precision-made utilizing high speed steel, premium powder metal or carbide and the latest in coatings, to achieve superior cutting and long life. DTR uses top of the line equipment including Reischauer CNC grinders and Klingelnberg CNC sharpeners and inspection equipment. Learn more about our outstanding quality tools at www.dragon.co.kr. Call us at 847-375-8892 for your local sales representative or Email alex@dragon.co.kr for a quotation. Making millions of copies of a plastic gear from a mold is a costeffective way to produce high volume (courtesy of Thermotech). ment to leverage the ability to build molds without restriction to standard steel gear manufacturing tooling.” “Remember, in molded plastic gears we only cut metal once and then can make millions of copies by injecting liquid into that mold,” says Thomas McNamara at Thermotech. “This is the most cost-effective means of producing a high volume of gears.” Adds Kleiss, “Cut plastic gears can replace metal with plastic. This can be a solution to a specific problem if materials replacement is the answer. Molded plastic gears offer a few more opportunities. The gear design can be easily optimized for the specific application. We use a method we call shape forming to fit the needs of the transmission. The molded solution offers unique part characteristics outside of the gear itself that would be difficult—if not impossible— to build into in cut gears.” “High production is much easier on molded gears, which leads to a lower price point. With a quality mold, the repeatability is very high,” Ellis says. “Once the mold has been qualified, the future production runs should not have much variation. The potential quality of a cut gear is still higher than the molded gear. One of the things a designer must know is what quality is required for their application. Why request and pay for a quality higher than needed?” In the end, both methods have advantages and disadvantages and it’s up to the customer to determine what plastic gear solution will best fit their specific application. Overcoming the Limitations of Plastic The limitations in plastic gearing remain fairly straightforward. “Quite simply, plastic gears are weaker than metal. They can’t operate at the same high temperatures. The most precise plastic gear will not be as accurate as the most precise metal gear, unless we start All The the Gear Cutting Tools You Will Ever Need are Are Right Here DTR is one of the world’s largest producers. continued DTR has sales territories available. Call for more information. (formerly Dragon Precision Tools) WWW.DRAGON.CO.KR U.S. Office Location (Chicago) Email inquiries to: alex@dragon.co.kr 2400 E. Devon Ave., Suite 210, Des Plaines, IL 60018 PHONE: 847-375-8892 Fax: 847-699-1022 Headquarters 36B-11L, Namdong Industrial Complex, Namdong-Gu, Incheon, Korea PHONE: +82.32.814.1540 FAX: +82.32.814.5381 www.geartechnology.com March/April 2012 GEARTECHNOLOGY 35
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