As fine as a human hair: new igus micro gears with 0.2 module

By OEM Update Editorial April 5, 2024 7:03 pm IST

Engineers worldwide are developing increasingly compact products, from microdrives to microscopes to precision engineering. igus now manufactures micro gears with modules as small as 0.2, featuring tooth dimensions close to human hair. Thanks to high-performance plastics, these teeth enable precise, low-wear movement, ensuring the creation of high-quality products.

When a photographer zooms his camera, a gearbox consisting of tiny gears spanning just a few millimetres moves inside the lens. Their teeth are much smaller and scarcely visible to the naked eye. “Such precision-engineering applications require micro gears that are still strong and wear-resistant, enough to operate reliably for years. For this reason, we have optimised our production to mechanically manufacture micro gears with a module as small as 0.2 from high-performance plastic,” says Steffen Schack, Head of Business Unit iglidur Gears at igus. The company uses iglidur bar stock, including iglidur A180 and iglidur A500. These materials are tribologically optimised: they are robust and have very good friction and wear specifications. At the same time, they are much lighter than metal gears.

Teeth as fine as a human hair

With modules as small as 0.2, igus has further pushed the limits of its mechanical production. “The capability of manufacturing gear teeth that can hardly be seen with the naked eye sets us apart from many competitors on the market. Despite their size, the teeth have excellent mechanical specifications, allowing reliable, highly precise movements in precision engineering,” says Schack.

Economical pricing, even for small quantities

igus now offers customer-specific production of micro gears made of high-performance plastics. “Our mechanical production from iglidur bar stock allows economical pricing even for small quantities. For instance, we can produce large quantities with injection moulding – for automobile series production,” says Schack. The gears are suitable for a wide range of applications requiring finely coordinated movements in small installation spaces, such as microscopes and other optical instruments, miniature motors, and microdrives.