Nylon Spur Gears

Nylon spur gears are straight-toothed mechanical gears made from nylon (PA — polyamide thermoplastic), combining the spur gear's simplicity and efficiency with nylon's outstanding toughness, good wear resistance, impact strength, and self-lubricating properties. They are the most common plastic gear type and are used to transmit power and motion between parallel shafts in a wide range of machinery including electric motors, power tools, conveyor systems, and industrial automation. Korea Ever-Power's nylon spur gears are available in PA, POM, UHMWPE, ABS, PTFE, PPS, and PEEK — modules M1, M1.5, M2, M2.5, M3, M4, M5, M8, M12 and more — to ISO, DIN, ANSI, JIS, BS, and non-standard specifications, with precision to DIN6–DIN9 and tolerance 0.001–0.1 mm.

Korea Ever-Power's nylon spur gears are lightweight, corrosion-resistant, and have a lower coefficient of friction than metal — generating less heat and noise. They are less likely to damage mating components because nylon is softer than metal. Applications include automatic controlling machines, semiconductor industry equipment, general industry machinery, medical equipment, solar energy equipment, machine tools, parking systems, high-speed rail, and aviation transportation equipment.

MC Nylon Spur

Wear Resistant

Oil-Containing

EPA Grade

Toughness and Impact Resistance

Nylon's outstanding toughness — its ability to absorb energy before fracture — makes nylon spur gears far more resistant to shock and impact loading than POM gears at the same module. When a machine experiences a sudden jam or overload, nylon gears flex and absorb the impact energy rather than fracturing suddenly (as brittle materials would). This toughness is particularly valuable in drive systems that experience occasional overloads, impacts, or sudden direction reversals — making nylon the preferred choice for these applications over POM despite POM's lower friction.

Low Coefficient of Friction

Nylon's lower coefficient of friction compared with metal gears means less heat generated at the tooth mesh during operation — reducing thermal degradation of the gear material and extending service life. The lower heat generation is especially important for nylon gears because nylon has low thermal conductivity (it cannot dissipate heat as effectively as metal), so reducing heat generation at the source is more important for nylon than reducing it at the metal surface of an equivalent metal gear.

Low Maintenance

Nylon spur gears are low-maintenance — they do not require regular lubrication or cleaning in the light-to-moderate duty applications for which they are designed. The self-lubricating property of standard PA6 / PA66 (and especially oil-containing MC Nylon) provides adequate tooth surface lubrication from the material itself, eliminating the maintenance schedule for re-greasing that metal gear drives require. This zero-maintenance operation is essential in inaccessible locations — conveyor systems under machinery, sealed housings, and outdoor solar energy equipment.

Protects Mating Components

Nylon gears are less likely to damage mating components because they are softer than metal — when a nylon gear meshes with a steel gear, the nylon is the sacrificial wear element. This protects the more expensive metal gear from damage: in printer paper feed drives, for example, a nylon drive gear that wears after millions of cycles is replaced cheaply, while the steel motor gear shaft remains undamaged. The nylon gear acts as a designed-in wearing component that is cheap and fast to replace at service intervals.

Cost-Effective

Nylon spur gears are relatively inexpensive — the material cost is lower than POM (especially for MC Nylon cut from cast stock vs injection-moulded POM), and the zero-lubrication, low-maintenance operation reduces the lifetime operating cost further. At large diameters where MC Nylon cut from cast rod competes with small steel hobbed gears, the nylon gear is typically 40–70% cheaper than the equivalent steel gear of the same module and tooth count — with acceptable performance for medium-duty applications.

Limitations to Note

Nylon has a low modulus (elastic stiffness) compared with steel — nylon spur gears deflect more under tooth load, which can increase backlash and reduce position accuracy. Nylon has low thermal conductivity — heat from friction builds up under sustained high load. Nylon absorbs moisture (2–3%) causing dimensional growth — requiring backlash allowance in design. Nylon is not suitable for high-speed (> 3,000 RPM at typical modules) or high-torque (sustained load near material strength) applications. Korea Ever-Power helps customers assess whether nylon or an alternative material (POM, UHMWPE) better suits each application.

Electric Motors and Power Tools

Nylon spur gear reduction stages between electric motors and driven mechanism. Power tools require gears that handle shock loads (bit engagement, workpiece impact) without fracture — nylon's toughness provides the shock absorption metal gears cannot match. Garden tools, electric screwdrivers, and angle grinder gearboxes use nylon intermediate gears to protect the motor and housing from damage on jam-up.

Conveyor Systems

UHMWPE spur gears in food-grade conveyor drives, and MC Nylon spur gears in industrial conveyor systems. The self-lubricating property eliminates oil contamination risk in food-grade applications; the UHMWPE's ultra-low friction reduces motor power consumption; the toughness handles the shock loading of belt jams without fracturing the gear teeth.

Automatic Controlling Machines

Nylon spur gears in PLC-controlled machinery, automation positioning systems, and industrial robot link drives. DIN6–DIN8 precision nylon spur gears provide sufficient accuracy for positioning applications while keeping system cost below equivalent metal gear trains. The zero-maintenance operation reduces factory downtime for lubrication on automated lines.

Semiconductor and Medical Equipment

PEEK spur gears for semiconductor process equipment (chemical resistance, high temperature to 250°C, cleanroom compatible) and medical device drives. PTFE-filled nylon for chemical-resistant gears in laboratory automation. High-precision DIN6 nylon spur gears for medical positioning drives where particle contamination from metallic wear must be eliminated.

Solar Energy Equipment

UV-stabilised nylon spur gears in solar panel tracking drives, solar concentrator positioning, and photovoltaic system actuators. The self-lubricating, zero-maintenance properties suit outdoor solar drives where re-greasing access is impractical; corrosion resistance eliminates rust failure in high-humidity climates; the lightweight reduces structural load on the tracking frame.

High-Speed Rail and Transportation

Glass-fibre-reinforced PA66 (PA66-GF30) spur gears in high-speed rail ancillary equipment drives, aviation seat adjusters, and transportation equipment actuators. GF30 nylon provides the combination of high stiffness (180 MPa tensile, vs 70 MPa for standard PA6), high temperature resistance (130°C), and good fatigue life required in transportation equipment where high duty cycles, elevated temperatures, and vibration loads are simultaneous.

What is the difference between nylon and POM for spur gears, and which should I choose?

Nylon (PA): tougher, better impact and shock resistance, stronger at same module, available in larger diameters (MC Nylon cast), slightly lower friction coefficient at high load than POM. Absorbs 2–3% moisture causing dimensional growth — needs extra backlash in humid environments. Choose nylon for: high impact loads, large diameters, high strength requirement, heavy industrial drives. POM (Acetal/Delrin): stiffer and more dimensionally stable (absorbs only 0.2% water), lower friction at light loads, better for miniature precision gears, quieter at high speed. Choose POM for: precision small gears, humid environments, light-duty silent drives. Korea Ever-Power can produce samples in both materials for your application testing.

What precision (DIN grade) is appropriate for nylon spur gears?

Korea Ever-Power produces nylon spur gears to DIN6 (finest) through DIN9 (coarsest). DIN6 is appropriate for positioning drives (solar panel tracking, medical device actuators) where tooth form accuracy directly affects positioning repeatability. DIN7–DIN8 suits most industrial and consumer product drives. DIN9 covers general-purpose light-duty drives where cost is the primary driver. Tolerance capability: 0.001–0.1 mm depending on module and material. Most injection-moulded nylon gears achieve DIN8–DIN9; CNC-hobbed MC Nylon gears can achieve DIN6–DIN7.

How long does it take to receive a sample of a custom nylon spur gear?

Sample lead time for custom nylon spur gears: 20 business days from drawing approval. Bulk production lead time: 25 business days. Sample price: USD 2–USD 100 depending on size and complexity; sample freight paid by the customer. For CNC-hobbed MC Nylon prototypes without mould tooling, Korea Ever-Power can often deliver within 5–10 business days — allowing faster testing before committing to injection mould investment. Contact Korea Ever-Power with your specification to begin.

"We manufacture solar panel dual-axis tracking systems and use UV-stabilised nylon spur gears (M3, DIN7) from Korea Ever-Power in our azimuth and elevation drives. 36-month outdoor field test in southeast Asian climate (35°C average, 85% RH, UV intensity 1,600 W/m²): no material degradation, no visible tooth wear. Dimension check after 36 months: gear OD within 0.15 mm of initial (moisture equilibrium). Zero re-greasing in 36 months confirmed by field service team."

Kim Seong-jin  |  Solar Tracking System Engineer, Incheon Renewable Energy Co.  ·  Q1 2026

"We build industrial conveyor drives and switched from steel to MC Nylon spur gears (M4, DIN8) from Korea Ever-Power. Motor power consumption reduced 12% (lower friction losses). Noise at 1 m from conveyor: 58 dB(A) → 49 dB(A). Maintenance: previous steel drive needed re-greasing every 6 weeks; MC Nylon oil-grade gears need no re-greasing — annual inspection only. Cost reduction: 45% on gear set replacement parts."

Lee Hyeon-woo  |  Industrial Conveyor Drive Engineer, Gyeonggi Logistics Systems Co.  ·  Q4 2025