Custom PEEK Compounds have led to the development of transmission seals and thrust washers that offer lower wear, friction and temperature advantages.

In the selection of lubricating greases for plastic worm gears, the user needs to know the influence of each grease constituent on the tribological performance in order to choose the appropriate lubricant. In this work, the effect of NLGI class, viscosity, base oil and thickener type are investigated separately regarding the efficiency and temperature close to the tribocontact. With the help of this contribution the user understands the effect of each parameter and learns about the potentially reachable efficiency and temperature ranges.

While metal-to-plastic parts conversion actually began way back in the Fabulous Fifties, think toys, household products, etc., it is only in more recent years that plastic conversion has gained a firm foothold in the more strength- and lifetime-demanding applications such as aerospace, under-the-hood automotive, motors, valves, bearings and, as they say, much more.

During the past three decades there has been an evolution in the advancement and use of highly engineered plastics in bearing applications.

The first thing you see when you walk into Winzeler Gear is a pretty face. No, scratch that — the face is beautiful. Streamlined with chiseled cheek bones, delicate yet bold and strong, a half dozen photos of the feminine face line the building’s entranceway, enclosed tastefully in simple black picture frames, beckoning you to come further in with its pleasant warmth, repelling you to turn and leave with its foreign presence in such a location.

Regarding 3-D printing of gears and machine tools, etc. — does plastic gearing have a future in 3-D printing/additive manufacturing?

Wear is a very important topic for dry running plastic gears. Over the past few years, the authors have worked closely with a number of manufacturers of plastic gears to investigate the problems of gear wear in detail. Together they have developed a calculation method that can be used to predict where and when local wear will occur on a tooth flank. Their findings have also just been published in the final version of VDI 2736.