Wear-resistant plastic gears

From a single part to high-volume production of up to several million

Plastic gears made of iglidur® high-performance polymers enable lubrication-free and maintenance-free use.
Thanks to their special combination of base polymers, fibres, extenders and solid lubricants, they are extremely wear-resistant. Our plastic gears have already successfully proven themselves in different applications.
iglidur® materials are thoroughly tested in our own Testlab.

In accordance with the predominant parameters in your application, we provide you with free, non-binding advice on the right materials and manufacturing and tool technology needed to form your individual gears (toothed component) in a reliable process.
You can place an order with igus® with no minimum order quantity.

Contact an expert

Browse all plastic gear types

Bevel Gears

Gear ratio: 1:1 - 1.5
Module: 1 - 3.5
Low coefficient of friction
Low moisture absorption
Find out more

Visit the shop

Spur Gears

Number of teeth: 12 - 150
Module: 0.5 - 3
Increased wear resistance
Good tribological specifications
Vibration-dampening

Visit the shop

Gear Racks

Module: 0.5 - 3
Length: 250mm
Low coefficient of friction
Low humidity absorption
Find out more

Visit the shop

Your bespoke gear

From a individual part to high-volume production

We have many different ways of manufacturing the bespoke gear you need. We can advise you regarding the most technically and economically efficient manufacturing method and will also recommend the suitable plastic material.
We get lots of customers needing bespoke gears and can help you with yours!

Download the gear checklist

I have a specific use case and would like advice on it. The checklist provided here will help with this.

Download checklist now

Need us to call you?

If you would like an expert to call you and discuss your application please let us know.

Request support

Request a bespoke gear design

I have a drawing/CAD file for my desired component and would like to request it immediately.

Send us your request

Our manufacturing procedure for plastic gears

Injection moulding gears

From our largest possible variety of iglidur® materials
Standard dimensions available
Different shaft-hub combinations available
Individual high-volume production of special parts
Economic high-volume production
Matching racks available.

Visit the shop

3D printed gears

Delivery time from one to three days
No minimum order quantity
CAD configurator for gears and racks online
For prototypes
Custom designs available.
Various mateiral options.
High wear rate

Use the configurator

Mechanically manufactured gears

Made of iglidur® bar stock
Economically efficient in the case of small to medium-sized quantities
For high-volume gears
Various materials to choose from
FDA options available.
Custom design options

Find out more information

Application examples with plastic gears

Gears in the automotive industry

The proportion of electronic and electromechanical components in vehicles has been growing continuously for years. The increased comfort and the growing safety requirements promote this development. The cable harness, which is responsible for supplying all these components, is the second-heaviest component in many motor vehicles, right after the engine. Actuators make up a large share of the elements to be supplied with power and signals.

Go to application

Plastic gears in rail technology

To reduce interruptions of rail journeys, track switches are used. They ensure the seamless transition of the rail vehicles from one track to another. Reliable track switches are fundamental for a smooth operation of passenger and freight transport.

Go to application

Plastic gears in e-bikes

E-bikes are becoming increasingly lighter and in addition very quiet. During operation, there are hardly any motor noises to be heard. However, resourceful inventors, such as Lars Hartmann from Reichshof, are not content with that. The bicycle chain's background noise was too loud and a thorn in his side. A metallic chain sprocket served as a guide roller for the chain to prevent it from colliding with the frame, but caused tremendous operating noise. In search of a remedy, he remembered the offer by
igus, which he had seen at a trade show: the 3D printing service , which manufactured individual components cost-effectively with a 3D printer.

Polymer gears for the charging system of electric cars

Easelink, a company from Graz, has developed "Matrix Charging", a charging system consisting of two components. A charging pad connected to the mains is installed in the car park. A connector on the bottom of the e-car drops down when the car is parked over the pad. The charging process starts automatically, without the driver having to connect a cable - similar to inductive charging, but with up to ten times the charging power and with 99 per cent efficiency.

Go to application

Plastic gears in the fire brigade

The on-site fire brigade of Fraport AG provides for fire safety at the airport in Frankfurt am Main. Its airport fire engines have roof-mounted water cannons which use a servomotor to change the angle of the spray nozzle. As this angle is also changed while water is being sprayed, the load on the servomotor is considerable. After being in use for ten years, the gears in the cannon have become worn and therefore the roof-mounted cannons must be repaired.

Go to application

Why we developed our plastic gears

iglidur® gears have proven their worth in different gearboxes and have also been tested under realistic conditions of use in the igus test laboratory. For example, torque fluctuations, efficiency and backlash of the gearboxes with plastic gears are electrically measured and evaluated. The gathered empirical values allow for continuous optimisation of our plastic gears and use in wear-intensive continuous application.

iglidur® gears are characterised by their special wear resistance in use. Due to their special material composition of base polymers, fibres, fillers and solid lubricants, they have very low wear properties and do not require additional lubricants. This extends maintenance intervals and reduces expensive downtime minutes.

Plastic gear instead of metal gear

Tech up and cost down - now

Plastic gears are cost-effective, do not require external lubrication and are maintenance-free.
In contrast to metal gears, our polymer ones contain solid lubricants, which reduce friction.
Furthermore, certain fillers ensure an additional
improvement of the mechanical properties.

Overview of benefits

Lubrication-free
Maintenance-free
Lightweight
Noise-reducing
Corrosion-free

Worn-out metal gear next to plastic gear

Frequently asked questions about plastic gears

What is a plastic gear?

A plastic gear is a round component that has uniformly distributed teeth around its circumference. It transfers force between two rotating gears or between a gear and a rack. Depending on the application, further types are used.

What kinds of pinion gears are there?

The most common kinds of pinion gears are:
• Spur gears (you can find them in our online shop)
• Racks
• Worm gears
• Bevel gears
Different kinds of gear and toothing are often combined with each other in order to implement certain sequences of movement.

How are the pinion gears made from plastic?

At igus®, gears are made with the help of three manufacturing methods:
• Injection moulding with iglidur® granulate materials
• Mechanical processing with iglidur® bar stock as the material
• 3D printing with iglidur® SLS or FDM materials
Depending on the enquiry, we will advise you on manufacturing methods and work with you to find the best economical solution – free of charge, no strings attached.

Further information on our materials used in gear pinions

Test tubes with different plastic granules

Request your free sample today.

If you would like to order a free sample or sample box to try, please do so and discover more about the iglidur® gears.

Largest test lab in the industry

We carry out tests so that you do not have to experiment. Find out how our iglidur® polymer plain bearings are tested in the largest test laboratory in the industry. We also carry out individual customer tests here.

Find out more about the test laboratory

What is iglidur®?

What are iglidur materials made of? What is behind the self-lubrication effect? Find out more about the functionality of iglidur®.

What is iglidur®?

Country/Region

By selecting your country you will be shown local offers and information.

Please choose your delivery location

Wear-resistant plastic gears

From a single part to high-volume production of up to several million