Gears and drive parts from the 3D printer
A broken plastic gear often stops a whole device, and no replacement exists. We print gears, pulleys and racks in polyamide and PC, as spares or for prototypes.
Reproduction from the old part possible
Typical drive parts
For gearboxes with moderate load and speed.
Spur gears
Replacement for broken plastic gears in devices.
Pulleys
Timing pulleys in special sizes.
Worm wheels
For slow running adjustment drives.
Racks
Short racks for linear motion.
Suitable materials
PA12 runs quietly with low wear, PA12-CF is stiffer, PC handles more heat.
- PA12Tough, low-friction nylon for functional mechanical parts.
- PA12-CFCarbon-filled nylon 12 - the metal replacement workhorse.
- PCPolycarbonate - high impact, high heat, transparent option.
- PA6-CFCarbon-filled PA6 for high loads and abrasion resistance.
- TPUFlexible thermoplastic polyurethane - Shore 95A.
Details for gears
- 01Module, tooth count and profile, or the old part.
- 02Mating gear: plastic or metal.
- 03Torque, speed and running time.
- 04Shaft connection: key, flat or press fit.
What matters with printed gears
The tooth root is the critical point. If the gear is printed flat, the layers lie across the tooth load and the tooth is loaded in the strong direction. That is why we almost always print spur gears flat.
The hub is the second weak point. A plain bore on a smooth shaft will slip. We plan flats, keyways or inserted metal hubs.
If a gear keeps breaking, look at the cause. Often a wider gear or a different module helps more than a more expensive material.
Manufacturing data at a glance
- Location
- Schleswig, Germany
- Part size
- up to approx. 250 x 250 x 250 mm, larger parts split and joined
- Quantities
- 1 to several thousand, no minimum order quantity
- Tolerances
- approx. ±0.2 mm for PLA, PETG and carbon grades, ±0.3 mm for ABS, ASA and PC
- Layer height
- 0.10 to 0.30 mm
- Materials
- 20 engineering filaments from PLA to PA12-CF and PC FR
- File formats
- STEP, STL, 3MF, OBJ, IGES up to 200 MB
- Lead time
- 2 to 4 working days for samples, 4 to 15 working days for series
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Printed gear FAQ
- Do printed gears last?
- At moderate load and speed yes, especially in PA12. For high torque in continuous duty, machined or moulded gears are better. We assess it honestly.
- Can you rebuild a gear without data?
- Yes. We determine module and tooth count from the old part and create a new model.
- How accurate are the teeth?
- Sufficient for plastic gearboxes with normal backlash. Precision gearboxes with tight backlash do not make sense in FDM.
- Which material runs quietest?
- PA12 against steel or PA12 against PA12 runs quietly and usually needs no lubrication.
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