Wear-resistant 3D printed gears
Switch to plastic gears now:
up to 80% more wear-resistant than conventional plastics
Plastic gears are becoming more common with developments in technology. People are accepting that plastic can be as good, if not better than metal so gears are now a growing area.If you want to ensure no downtime, you can calculate the gear service life using our calculator.
3D printed gears means a faster manufacturing time, parts can be ready to ship from just 3 days time.
And with no minimum order quantity, you can order 1 or 1000!
Would you like more information about 3D printed gears at igus®? Our experts will be happy to get in touch with you.
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Next steps
Gear CAD configurator
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Free plastic gear sample
Still not convinced? See for yourself: we will gladly send you a free gear sample.
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Gear service life calculator
To the service life calculator
Types of gears
With the igus® 3D printing service, every type of wear-resistant and self-lubricating gear drive can be produced quickly and independently of mechanical tools. In addition to conventional models such as spur gears, worm wheels and bevel gears, the laser sintering procedure with iglidur® materials works very well for elliptical gears, crown gears, racks, worm gears and much more.
Very high efficiency for 3D printed gears made of high-performance polymer
Planetary gearbox efficiency testing showed that gears laser sintered from iglidur® I3 had efficiency in dry operation comparable to that of oil-lubricated metallic planetary gearboxes.How can that be? The solid lubricants contained in iglidur® polymers greatly reduce the coefficient of friction so that dry-operating 3D printed iglidur® gears achieve an efficiency that is only slightly lower than that of lubricated metal gears. Integrated lubrication greatly reduces maintenance effort.
Test procedure: the gearboxes are tested on a dynamometer. The gearbox is driven by a stepper motor and an electromagnetic brake. Measuring systems in the power train continuously measure the angular position at the gearbox input and output. This allows us to gather efficiency, torque fluctuation, and backlash performance data in practical torque and speed ranges.
Customer application examples
Plastic 3D printed gears in use
Drive unit printed in 3D for a medicine dispenser
JDM Innovation GmbH presents a new medicine dispenser which automatically dispenses medication in individual packets. The drive components consist of a bevel gear and a linear drive - both components are 3D printed which makes it possible to consider dispensers with small installation space. In addition, 3D printing makes it possible to mass-produce the dispensers and ensures a maintenance-free service life beyond five years.
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Gear printed in 3D for astrophotography
A revolving device, together with a camera and telescope, has to compensate for the earth's rotation in order to take long-exposure photos of celestial bodies. The gear wheels for the transmission come from the 3D printer. The tribofilament iglidur I150 ensures a precise and stable rotation of the device. In addition, the design freedom offered by 3D printing made producing the parts simple and quick. The whole thing is controlled with a touchscreen on the outside.
Gears printed in 3D for water cannons on a fire engine
For repair of the roof-mounted cannons of airport fire engines, the on-site fire brigade at Fraport AG needed individual gears that could withstand the high loads. As a manufacturing method, 3D printing makes it possible to produce individual and special parts cost-effectively and quickly. Specially developed for demanding applications in machines, iglidur® plastic gears contain solid lubricants that make them more durable and reduce maintenance work/expenditure.
Improved tolerances for a 3D printed gear in a floating illusion
For a special kind of shop window, the customer needed a gear with good tolerances. The idea was to create the illusion of floating objects with the help of two linear movements and a rotation. The original gear had tolerances of 0.2mm, which led to vibrations and jerky "floating". A gear made of iglidur i3, manufactured in selective laser sintering, improved tolerances by 0.1mm. With noticeable changes in the application, the illusion can be maintained.
Vintage spare parts from the 3D printer
Finding spare parts for vintage cars and rare models today is difficult, if not impossible. When a shaft with a worm gear and toothed gear in the mileage counter of the speedometer wore, the owner of a Stanley 750B from 1924 could rely on the online 3D printing service from igus. Due to the abrasion-resistant SLS polymer iglidur I6, a fully functioning spare part was made via laser sintering.
Ten times more cost-effective than usual - replacement gear for tractor
The igus cleaning team tractor was defective for a year as a gear was worn out. The gear made of regular plastic was part of the tractor's starter mechanism, and had broken due to the high load when the engine was started. Shortly before the utility vehicle was scrapped, the 3D printing team came into play and was able to trace the gear and print it within a matter of hours. The tractor is now working perfectly. The gear was made of iglidur I3, and combines a high wear resistance with good mechanical properties. The SLS powder can be processed very precisely, allowing for an exact copy of the complex spindle geometry in the gear's interior.
Gear made of iglidur I6 for an electric car charging system
Easelink, a company from Graz, has developed "Matrix Charging", a charging system that automatically connects the underside of parked electric cars with the power supply. To design the system to be both economical and high-quality, the designers have chosen gear prototypes made of iglidur polymers with additive manufacturing. The igus 3D printing service allowed sample components to be quickly ordered, tested and adjusted until the ideal solution was reached. The particularly wear-resistant and self-lubricating SLS powder iglidur I6 is ideal for the construction of gears, pinions and other highly stressed components, which usually have to be regularly lubricated, maintained and frequently replaced.
Polymer pinion for engine tuning
The Formula Student Team from Weingarten near Ravensburg needed, amongst other things, customised polymer pinions to construct their racing cars. The pinions were used as chain tensioners in the chain drive, so they had to be especially robust. The igus 3D printing service allowed polymer pinions to be delivered and tested in less than 72 hours. The material used was iglidur I6, which is especially wear-resistant - it was still fully functional after one million cycles in laboratory tests. In this case, the special parts from additive manufacturing were not only available much faster, but were more robust and economical.
Polymer sprockets made with additive manufacturing for quiet e-bikes
Tough, wear-resistant, lubrication-free: polymer beats metal
For constructing e-bikes it is especially important that the components used are light and quiet. Lars Hartmann from the VMA Getzmann GmbH, which produces stirring, dispersing and fine-grinding systems, tested sprockets printed in 3D made of iglidur I3 as replacement for metal sprockets and was enthusiastic:
"The standard metal pinion generates a lot of noise when in use. We drew it and had igus® print it from iglidur® I3. Getting the part was simple and fast. We used the 3D printing service to upload the corresponding data, chose the material and ordered the quantity."
"The standard metal pinion generates a lot of noise when in use. We drew it and had igus® print it from iglidur® I3. Getting the part was simple and fast. We used the 3D printing service to upload the corresponding data, chose the material and ordered the quantity."
Enhanced performance with replacement gears
The manufacturer was unable to supply spare parts for the worn gears of a planetary gear in an electric bicycle. The customer eventually contacted igus GmbH's 3D printing department. After receiving the worn parts, the department made a drawing of the gears and printed them from iglidur I3. The tribologically optimised material's abrasion resistance now ensures that the e-bike works again flawlessly, and performance has even been enhanced.
Frequently asked questions
Can you 3d print gears?
Absolutely! By 3D printing gears you can create intricate and customised shapes that meet specific requirements, just make sure the material used is suitable for the intended application.
How strong are 3D printed gears?
igus® ensure that 3D printed plastic parts are made to be more wear-resistant and durable, tried and tested to ensure they will last in your applications.
How to design gears for 3D printing?
It’s simple, you can create a gear model with individual dimensions in less than 60 seconds using our gear CAD configurator!
More FAQ's here
More information on 3d printed gears
3D printing service design guide
Design guide for components manufactured via the 3D printing service, including practical tips that help extend service life.Download design guide
Guidelines for 3D printed gears
In these guidelines, you can find out everything about the three most common mistakes made when printing gears in 3D, and how to avoid them.Download gear guidelines
