Finding the Ideal Material for Gears

When designing an individual gear or a gear train, the choice of material will either be the primary factor on which the gear geometry is based or the gear performance will dictate the proper material selection. There are various raw materials that are commonly used in gear construction, and each one has a sweet spot where its mechanical properties stand out as the superior choice. The main categories of materials are copper alloys, iron alloys, aluminum alloys, and thermoplastics.