Victrex ® PEEK and Stanyl ® Lawnmower Transmission Gear Set

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Victrex® PEEK and Stanyl® Lawnmower Transmission
Crossed Axis Helical Gear Set
Synergy of material selection improves efficiency in the garden.

Gear Set - Material: Victrex® PEEK (Victrex PLC) and Stanyl® (DSM)

This transmission converts the rotary output from the engine into the self propelled motion for a walk behind lawnmower. The original design used powdered metal worm and worm gear components that were inherently high cost and caused a number of performance based quality issues.

Allegheny Performance Plastics was asked to help convert this design to adopt thermoplastic gear components that would reduce cost and improve performance characteristics. The worm was converted to VictrexÒ PEEK (polyaryletherketone, polyetheretherketone) and the helical gear was changed to a high temperature 4.6 nylon, StanylÒ . This wear couple was found to work ideally together and was confirmed by a 35% improvement in output efficiency.

The gear set runs in a sealed transmission casing cooled and lubricated with a synthetic oil. The components had to maintain strength at a continuous operating temperature of 180° -200° F.

Both components are molded to specification with no secondary machining and are continuously monitored against master gears for total composite error. The worms are molded in VictrexÒ PEEK using an automatic unscrewing, full hot runner mold designed by Allegheny Plastics. This runnerless molding technique minimizes material cost and maximizes cycle efficiency. The StanylÒ mold uses an automatic three-plate mold design, again by Allegheny, and with sleeve ejection the parts rotate out of the mold on the helix angle of the gear teeth. Parts are three drop gated to optimize part roundness and reduce total composite error.

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