Need gears - anyone used laser cut gears?

snowman · Jul 19, 2017

Has anyone ever used laminated laser cut gears? I'm curious how it may have worked out for you. Have a couple low speed relatively low torque projects where gears would be useful, but priced out of reach for traditional machined gears.

Also have a project that I'd like some 4-5" OD high torque low speed gears, but imagine that given the torque requirements, they may not be appropriate. If anyone knows of any 4-5" gears that are commonly available thus cheap that can move some serious torque, please do share!

kustomizingkid · Jul 19, 2017

Kevin Potter is using them in his new rolling mill.

jjclear · Jul 20, 2017

I had to make a window regulator assembly for a Lamborghini. I had the gears cut with a waterjet and that worked out pretty well. The laser cut would be even better.

J. Clear

snowman · Jul 20, 2017

kustomizingkid said:
Kevin Potter is using them in his new rolling mill.

interesting...that's a reasonable amount of torque

kustomizingkid · Jul 20, 2017

No luck finding pictures... I know it is in development, not for sale yet.

Scruffy887 · Jul 21, 2017

I would think that they would work fine for low speed/low frequency use. May even surface harden the teeth depending on gas and metal used.

Peter from Holland · Jul 21, 2017

I have seen them in green houses The devices to open the windows

Peter

ewlsey · Jul 21, 2017

jjclear said:
I had to make a window regulator assembly for a Lamborghini. I had the gears cut with a waterjet and that worked out pretty well. The laser cut would be even better.

J. Clear

The originals were probably die cut. That's pretty common in the auto industry. The water jet was probably more accurate.

RDL · Jul 21, 2017

Here is an example of 10" gears that were cut with a waterjet. They are made from .75" material. I think it is simpler than a laminated gear. Though not visible, the chain sprocket was waterjet cut aswell.

HuFlungDung · Jul 21, 2017

I've had some gear sectors laser cut. The results weren't too bad, it was for a window raising mechanism. I wasn't sure how much offset would be cut by the laser, so I sent in 3 different profiles of a slightly different pitch diameter and then picked the best match when the results came back.

It seems to me that a lot of profiling operations with laser, waterjet, plasma and whatever have trouble turning corners. That is where there always seems to be a bit of a burr or a blowout. If you were designing your own gear set that doesn't have to interchange with machined gears, I'd recommend a large single radius fillet at the root of the tooth (go extra deep if necessary) and a round crest as well. If you don't make drastic changes in cutting direction, the results will look a lot smoother.

Reptar · Jul 22, 2017

Don't have any info on where to get gears. But I am quality control at a plant that cuts tons with lasers.

Lasers have come a long way, and as for torque requirements (Guessing thickness of steel for strength?) I don't think you'd have an issue. Are lasers don't have a problem cutting up to 1" thickness, it's all about the flatness of the plate and plate quality. (More flatness than anything), effecting the curf of the beam as its cuts. An uneven plate really messes with a laser as its trying to keep a perfect height between the plate and the nozzle of the laser. A laser were purchasing soon can even go through 3" supposedly.

Hungflungdung was right about the laser turning corners to. That can be medicated by how well it's drawn in cad before it's sent to a laser.

SeaMoss · Jul 22, 2017

Reptar said:
Hungflungdung was right about the laser turning corners to. That can be medicated by how well it's drawn in cad before it's sent to a laser.

Full radius roots are stronger anyway, even with cut gears. If you have the space below the normal root diameter to do it, it's even better than flat roots.

Rounding the tips is also okay (as long as you don't get too carried away) - it's done on highly loaded gears because the tooth in mesh bends a little, so the next tooth entering the mesh is actually ahead of where it's supposed to be. The technical term is 'tip relief' -- for once the jargon is easy to remember

I don't think I'd waterjet teeth though - doesn't waterjet usually cut bigger on the outgoing side ? You'd get teeth that were not parallel to the axis, where you want them to contact all the way across the face. Look at the shiny portions of the teeth in the photo. Maybe narrow ones would be okay. Or if you were doing a pair, flop them so that the skinny side of one ran against the fat side of the other.

RDL · Jul 22, 2017

SeaMoss said:
... I don't think I'd waterjet teeth though - doesn't waterjet usually cut bigger on the outgoing side ? You'd get teeth that were not parallel to the axis, where you want them to contact all the way across the face. Look at the shiny portions of the teeth in the photo. Maybe narrow ones would be okay. Or if you were doing a pair, flop them so that the skinny side of one ran against the fat side of the other.

It is true that there is minimal flare on higher pressure units. Taking that into consideration, I flipped the gears to compensate and keep the contact as constant as possible. My guess that it would still be more accurate than a laminated stack.

adama · Jul 22, 2017

I have done a few laser cut gears, even done some heavy gas cut ones in like 1 1/2" plate too but i have and generally specify sprockets and chain these days were ever possible when going that way. Chain on laser cut sprockets works well like seriously well, you have to brush the oxide layer off or a very light blast, but the harden rollers just burnish things to a ever better finish. Rough cut edges on gears naturally slide so you can't get great use out of them at really high loads at speed if you want life span. Lower force slow things they are just fine though. If you can get a cooperative laser place get them to cut them on the stainless - nitrogen settings and the resultant edges will be better still.

As to beam - jet offset, the lasers programmer should be taking care of that in this day and age.

snowman · Jul 22, 2017

Thanks guys...looks like I'll give it a try. Worst the can happen is that it won't work! I'll only be out about $100 bucks.

SeaMoss · Jul 22, 2017

RDL said:
Taking that into consideration, I flipped the gears to compensate and keep the contact as constant as possible.

Ja, seems like that should work okay. But I have to wonder - cutting spur teeth is pretty simple. Maybe an hour to do a setup and an hour total to cut those two parts and deburr them, wash them, all that. So two hours time ... is a laser or waterjet really cheaper ?

adama · Jul 23, 2017

^ 2 of say 6" diameter gears like in the pic, cut in 20mm will take less than 5 minutes off a laser that includes all the middle holes, key ways etc.

I just had a half dozen 56 tooth sprockets cut for a circa 5/8" chain in 5/16" plate. They had 6 fancy cutouts, 6 mounting holes and a large as in circa 4" central hole. Including material they were £7.50 each. Cutting gear teeth instead of sprocket teeth would have probably changed the cost by pence at most.

Peter Colman · Jul 23, 2017

If the gears are low tolerance and have larger teeth for their diameter, why not use metal stamping sand laminate if needed

snowman · Jul 23, 2017

adama said:
^ 2 of say 6" diameter gears like in the pic, cut in 20mm will take less than 5 minutes off a laser that includes all the middle holes, key ways etc.

I just had a half dozen 56 tooth sprockets cut for a circa 5/8" chain in 5/16" plate. They had 6 fancy cutouts, 6 mounting holes and a large as in circa 4" central hole. Including material they were £7.50 each. Cutting gear teeth instead of sprocket teeth would have probably changed the cost by pence at most.

Exactly...the $100 I quoted was assuming I sent them with another order. I just wish I could find a laser cutter around here that I didn't have to drive an hour and a half to get to. Granted, haven't really looked.

Plus, if I find they don't work, I'll let them rust and give them to my mom to sell in her antique booth.

Need gears - anyone used laser cut gears?

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