
The gear wheel is often the image of a mechanical transmission. We at Mekanex have also taken advantage of this and even have the gear wheel in our logo to describe the company’s business to some extent.
Gears can be manufactured in many different ways and in a number of different materials. They are also manufactured in an almost infinite number of sizes, both the size of the teeth (module) and the number of teeth.
In Europe, gear sizing is generally applied according to the modular system, which is defined as below:

Metric gear pitches also occur and can be useful in, for example, rack and pinion applications because you can then make a gear wheel move an even number of millimeters per revolution, which simplifies programming in rack and pinion drives. Mekanex stocks gears with module pitch in modules 0,5 to 6, but can also supply larger modules as well as gears and racks with metric pitch.
Gears can be manufactured in several ways, the most common being wheels with cut or machined teeth, but plastic gears can also be injection moulded. If the application requires gears with high demands on accuracy and precision, the gears can be ground. Mekanex stocks gears in steel with machined teeth and gear quality Q8 according to DIN 3962/63/67. We also stock plastic gears with both milled teeth and injection moulded wheels. Because the plastic materials are more “elastic” than metals, you don’t get the same quality of the cogs, quality Q9 is normally achieved on milled wheels and injection molded wheels will have even wider tolerances, possibly Q10.
If the forces to be transmitted are large, there are several ways to make the gears stronger. You can make the cogs bigger, i.e. choose a larger module. If the space is tight, the teeth can also be hardened, normally hardening increases the strength by a factor of 3. Another possibility is to use gears with helical teeth, then the tooth width will be longer and the transferable torque will be correspondingly higher. Helical teeth also have the advantage that they produce a lower noise level.
Gears can of course also be manufactured against a drawing. Mekanex cooperates with a number of manufacturers in Europe, who supply gears against drawing. In order to get some economy of scale from this, a quantity between 50 and 100 gears per order is usually required. If you have a smaller need, we can also assist with customising a standard gear so that it is adapted to your drawings.
The same applies to racks, if you have a large need for racks, Mekanex can provide racks to a drawing, for smaller quantities we customise standard racks so that they correspond to your drawings. Mekanex stocks racks from module 0,5 to 6. Usually we stock 2 meter long racks with ground ends so that they can be continuously added. With our advanced cutting equipment, we can also deliver racks in desired lengths.
Would you like to know more about our range?
If you want to know more about our range – feel free to contact our knowledgeable engineers and they will help you with a good gear transmission. You can reach us on +372 613 98 44 or send an email to info@mekanex.ee.