Bevel gears are a special class of gear, where the axes of two different shafts intersect, but the faces of each gear are shaped like cones. In most applications, bevel gears are mounted on shafts that are 90 degrees apart, but other angles are also possible; regardless, the pitch surface is always a cone. Bevel … Continued

If you’re creating a gear for a complex machine, or for a series of products you’re manufacturing, you need to make sure the gear you get is high quality. Unfortunately, that’s a vague phrase that could have a variety of implications, so let’s dig a little deeper: what is it, exactly, that makes a gear … Continued

The spur gear’s instantly recognizable shape and basic function make it the typical “gear” most people equate with the generic term. However, spur gears are just one of several types of gear used to keep our machines in operation. Their simplicity makes them highly useful for a wide range of tasks, but they aren’t good … Continued

Gears have been used in machines for more than a thousand years, with prototypical gears being used as early as 700 AD. But with the advancement of other technologies, could gears and gear manufacturing ever become obsolete? It’s hard to guess exactly how technology is going to develop in the future, so it’s irresponsible to … Continued

3D printing has become a go-to method of production and testing for engineers, hobbyists, and amateur inventors. Since gears are typical components of machines with moving parts, it’s natural to think that 3D printing gears to serve your prototype machine is the most reliable and cost-efficient method to see if your design will work. 3D … Continued

If you’re looking for a gear manufacturer, you might see various manufacturers discussing how much experience they have in the game, both in terms of business history, and in terms of collective engineering experience among their top employees. Intuitively, you can guess that more experience is a good thing, but why, specifically, does it matter … Continued

Spur gears are the “traditional” gear shape, with a cylindrical form surrounded by external  teeth, but they certainly aren’t the only type of gear available. One of the next most common gear forms is the helical gear, is also cylindrical gear but with teeth that wrap around the gear in a helix.  Helical gears compensate … Continued

Ideally, the gears in your machines will last forever. However, they’re moving parts made from earthly material, and eventually, they’ll experience wear and tear that interferes with their structural integrity. Most gears last for decades under the right conditions, far surpassing their intended needs, but there are some factors that can influence how long a … Continued

Have you ever heard of gear backlash? It doesn’t refer to a gear-based revolt against manufacturers. Instead, backlash is an error in motion that happens naturally in systems where gears change direction. If unaccounted for, backlash can cause major problems in gear degradation and can even compromise the entire system. So how do we prepare … Continued

Gear manufacturers produce far more than traditionally shaped spur gears. Bevel gears, which are conically shaped and most often mounted on shafts that are 90 degrees apart, but can be designed to work at other angles as well, are one of the lesser-known gear types, but they’re an important type of gear with a number of … Continued