igus has developed the gear service life calculator for its 3D-printed gears. This service is developed for laser sintering high-performance plastic iglidur I3. With the new online tool, the user gets a statement in a few seconds about the service life of the wear-resistant part.

 

In some gearboxes, gears are used to change torque or speed through one or more stages. Since gears with complex involute teeth are often required, which cannot be designed without aids, igus developed the gear configurator two years ago. This was expanded last year with the capability to configure double gears. In a few steps, the user only needs to enter the specifications of the required gear, such as the tooth module, number of teeth, width and inner diameter of the hole. This automatically displays a 3D model that can be exported as a Step file. 

 

By uploading the file in the igus 3D printing service (www.igus.in/3Dprintservice), the configured gear made from the extremely durable laser sintering material iglidur I3 can be ordered immediately from igus. This helps a customer to determine the service life of his wear-resistant gear. By means of this, the user receives a statement on the service life and the application limits of his gear pairing, in just three steps. This makes maintenance predictable.

 

The high-performance plastic iglidur I3 has been specially developed for the production of wear-resistant parts such as gears in the laser sintering process. The material is abrasion-resistant and durable, as shown by an experiment in the company's own 3,800 square metre test laboratory.