On the surface, gear manufacturing may seem somewhat straightforward. You have an idea of what a gear looks like, so all you need to do is punch it out of metal and plug it into your system, right? Wrong.
In reality, the gear manufacturing process is far more sophisticated, requiring extensive engineer work (especially for custom projects or reverse engineering jobs), careful precision cutting, and then fine-tuning to make sure every tiny component is perfectly in place. So why does gear manufacturing demand such precision?
Contact
The first and most straightforward answer is that gears require absolute precise contact if they’re going to work in conjunction with each other for any prolonged period. Consider two “traditional” gears turning against each other. It appears that there’s a degree of wiggle room here; if one tooth is slightly out of alignment, it may still successfully turn the other gear. But over the course of thousands of rotations in a complicated machine, even one idiosyncrasy can intensify in its effects, eventually throwing the entire system out of alignment.
Wear Prevention
If even one tooth isn’t perfectly sculpted to fit its intended use, it may increase the amount of wear and tear a gear system takes on. For example, an uneven point of contact could cause one section of a gear to wear faster than the others. Eventually, this lopsidedness builds up, and the connectivity between the two gears becomes less efficient.
Reverse Engineering
Precision manufacturing is especially important when it comes to reverse engineering, as there’s already an intended place and function for the prospective gear. Being off only slightly could jeopardize the system, as there aren’t many “standard” gears for complex operations.
The amount of precision necessary for successful gear manufacturing is staggering, so make sure you choose a quality gear manufacturer for your next custom job. If you’re interested in learning more about Federal Gear’s commitment to quality gear manufacturing, be sure to contact us!