Materials
The majority of gears are composed of carbon and low-alloy steels, including carburised steels. Among the carburised steels used in gears are 1018, 1524, 4026, 4118, 4320, 4620, 4820, 8620 and 9310. The intended gear use will dictate the material used in its creation. For example gears to be used in food processing are made of stainless steels or nickel-base alloys because of their corrosion resistance.
Gear forming processes
There are multiple ways in which gear blanks can be shaped through the cutting and finishing processes.
- Broaching - See Broach_(metalwork)
- Grinding - See grinding machine
- Honing - See hone
- Hobbing
- Lapping
- Milling - See milling machine