The main trends in the industry are: improving performance and efficiency, reducing weight and miniaturization while reducing costs. In gear applications, engineers are looking for new materials to replace existing metal materials or to improve typical polymer material solutions to meet the high performance requirements of future systems.

In recent years, PEEK high-performance polymer materials have been successfully used as an alternative material in a wide range of applications in multiple industries. In response to the continued development of this trend, Changzhou Junhua has sufficient resources to provide customers with direct assistance in processing, design and application development.

Performance: Gears have to meet multiple complex requirements because different types of loads always occur simultaneously. The proper operation of gears depends on good tribological and mechanical properties, resistance to aggressive media, durability and heat resistance, and dimensional accuracy. PEEK polymers offer a unique combination of properties for gear applications. PEEK polymers combine the high reproducibility of the injection molding process with design freedom for applications such as replacing metals and improving typical engineering plastic gears, and bring many more benefits.

Key properties of PEEK polymer materials

● High mechanical strength at high temperatures.

● Excellent dynamic fatigue resistance even at temperatures above 120°C (248°F).

● High strength and high toughness.

● Low coefficient of thermal expansion.

● Excellent resistance to chemicals, solvents, lubricants and fuels.

● Excellent friction and wear resistance.

● High PV resistance allows this material to be used in demanding friction environments.

● Low moisture absorption ensures dimensional uniformity and improves dimensional stability.

● Increase design flexibility.

● Easy to process – Injection molding production method ensures high precision of the gears.

In particular, PEEK polymers have advantages over other typical polymer gear materials because their properties and dimensions are not affected by heat and humidity. For example, PEEK polymers are used in a variety of applications under the hood of automobiles, where continuous use temperatures often exceed 120°C (248°F). This high-performance polymer meets the industry’s high demands for longer service life in more demanding environments.

Gear testing is ongoing at Changzhou Junhua, highlighting the ability of PEEK polymer materials to be suitable for highly loaded gears. This allows engineers to pursue miniaturization and higher performance, designing smaller PEEK gears to achieve the goal of reducing weight, reducing costs and reducing overall size.

Application Areas

Medical: In medical applications, PEEK gears not only have excellent mechanical properties, but also have outstanding advantages in radiation resistance, low particle generation, wear resistance, chemical corrosion resistance and sterilization resistance. For example, PEEK gears are used in the transmission mechanism of 3D imaging systems to reduce the patient’s radiation exposure. In addition, in order to ensure the precise dosage and flow of dialysate, the dialyzer pump is equipped with gears made of PEEK polymer material with specially improved friction properties.

Automotive: PEEK polymers are gaining success in many automotive gear applications due to their higher performance, lower weight and lower production costs. PEEK gears are particularly well-suited for seat adjustment, door control modules, electric parking brakes and engine components. The combination of high toughness, chemical resistance to grease, gasoline and brake fluid, excellent mechanical strength and low wear makes them ideal for new system solutions.

Business machines: Gear applications in printers or copiers need to handle temperatures exceeding 200°C (392°F) without lubrication. In addition, the requirements for service life and print/copy speed are constantly increasing. PEEK polymers have fully demonstrated their superior performance in demanding applications such as fuser roller or heating roller gears.

Industrial: Among a wide range of industrial applications, PEEK gears are used in particular in textile machines. High-end weaving and knitting machines have increasing requirements for wear resistance, light weight, mechanical strength and heat resistance, which requires replacement of traditional polymer gear materials. PEEK polymer materials replace traditional polymer gear materials, increasing service life and reducing downtime, thereby reducing production costs.