PEEK Gears for Demanding Applications
High-Performance PEEK Plastic as an Alternative to Metal Gears
Gears transmit torque, control motion, and are indispensable in numerous industries. For demanding gear applications, they are often manufactured from high-performance plastics such as PEEK.
PEEK offers high mechanical strength, a continuous operating temperature of 260 °C, excellent resistance to chemicals, friction and wear. In addition, PEEK gears can reduce operating noise, making them a reliable alternative to metal gears.
Due to their lower material density compared to metallics, they can also achieve weight savings of up to 60%. This can reduce the required drive power and energy consumption. Depending on the application, tribological-modified materials enable operation without external lubrication. Longer maintenance intervals and reduced downtime can reduce operating costs.
We offer a broad portfolio of PEEK modifications for demanding gear requirements. In addition, we have the capability to jointly develop customer- and application-specific compounds. We have already responded to the global PFAS situation and offer corresponding PFAS-free PEEK-based tribological-modified materials.
On-Demand Manufacturing
The Right Material for Your Gear Application
PEEK is an excellent high-performance plastic that meets demanding component requirements. In terms of cost-effectiveness, PEEK is often technically and commercially over-specified for less demanding components.
The selection of materials for gears depends on several factors and needs to be assessed case-by-case. High-performance plastics such as PI, PTFE, and PPS are materials that are also suitable for gear applications. Material choice depends on operating temperature, torque and mechanical-dynamic loads. For less demanding applications, we offer a broad portfolio of engineering plastics, such as PA, POM, and PET. At moderate temperatures, these materials offer excellent sliding properties, dynamic load-bearing capacity, outstanding fatigue resistance, and damping properties.
Our experts would be happy to evaluate your gear design and advise you on material selection with regard to operating temperature, chemical resistance, load profile, production volume and other requirements in order to propose an optimal and cost-effective solution for your application.