Wear and thermal coupled comparative analysis of additively manufactured and machined polymer gears

Abstract

This study investigates the potential use of additive manufacturing (AM)-produced gears in the polymer gear industry as an alternative to conventionally manufactured gears. The focus is on comparing the wear and thermal properties of polyamide 6 (PA6) gears, the most commonly used in industry, with those of polyetherimide (PEI) gears manufactured via AM. The research aims to determine whether AM offers any advantages over conventional methods, particularly with regard to wear resistance and thermal performance. The wear behaviour of both types of gears is examined under various operating conditions, with particular attention being paid to the initial wear rates and how they evolve. PEI and PA6 test gears were evaluated using a custom-built gear wear test rig. Throughout the wear test, polymer test gears were subjected to wear by running against a metal gear. The gears were tested at various rotational speeds for up to 1 million cycles. During this process, measurements were taken to determine surface roughness changes, operational noise levels, microstructure analyses using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and chemical structure analyses using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Additionally, thermal properties such as temperature generation and stability are monitored with a thermal camera and infrared thermometer to understand the suitability of each gear material for different applications. PA6 gears demonstrate better wear resistance at low and medium rotational speeds, while PEI gears show superior performance at high speeds. Furthermore, PEI gears display enhanced thermal properties, with lower temperature increases during operation compared to PA6 gears; this can be attributed to the porous structure inherent in AM, which allows for better heat dissipation. The findings suggest that AM-produced PEI gears hold promise as an important alternative in high-speed applications due to their superior wear resistance and thermal performance compared to conventionally manufactured PA6 gears.