Plastic Gears

Lubrication-free precision gears manufactured for exceptional wear resistance

Plastic gears are precision-engineered mechanical components with uniformly distributed teeth around its circumference, designed to transfer force between two rotating gears or between a gear and a rack. They are manufactured with engineering polymers rather than metal, including POM, nylon, PEEK, PET, and tribologically optimised polymers such as igus' materials.

The polymers used for igus® precision gears are manufactured with solid lubricants, making them self-lubricating with dry-running operation. Manufacturers are continuing to switch to plastic gears due to their reduced weight, low noise, improved corrosion-resistance, and lower-maintenance costs.

Why choose plastic gears?

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Reduced weight

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Corrosion resistant

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Quiet operation

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Cost effective

Plastic gear types

Plastic gears are available in a range of designs to meet specific requirements in different applications. This includes load capacity, speed, noise reduction, efficiency, torque transmission, and more. igus® manufacture durable, high-performance plastic gears engineered for maintenance-free, lubrication-free operation and exceptional wear resistance. Tested extensively in-house, these gears are trusted across industries and can be tailored to your application with free expert advice, custom design support, and no minimum order quantity. Whether you need a prototype or full-scale production, we ensure a fast and reliable process.

Bevel gears

Transmit motion between angled shafts

Gear ratio: 1:1 - 1.5
Module: 1 - 3.5
Low coefficient of friction
Low moisture absorption
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Two plastic gears on a light grey background.

Spur gears

Transmit motion between parallel shafts

Number of teeth: 12 - 150
Module: 0.5 - 3
Increased wear resistance
Vibration-dampening
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Gear racks

Convert rotary movement to linear movement

Module: 0.5 - 3
Length: 250mm
Low coefficient of friction
Low humidity absorption
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Custom gears

Whether you need a single custom gear or high-volume production, we’ve got you covered. Our expert team offers a range of advanced manufacturing methods to deliver bespoke gears tailored to your exact specifications.

We’ll guide you through the most efficient and cost-effective production process and help you choose the ideal plastic material for your application.

We work with many customers who need custom gears—and we’re equipped to help you too!

Assorted igus gears and worm gears shown in different materials and conditions.

Benefits of igus® plastic gears

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No lubrication needed

Custom gears available to order

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Shipping from 24 hours

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Long, predictable service life

Our manufacturing methods for plastic gears

Plastic granulate beside a gear wheel for the injection moulding process.

Injection moulded gears

From our largest possible variety of iglidur® materials
Standard dimensions available
Different shaft-hub combinations available
Individual high-volume production of special parts
Economic high-volume production
Matching racks available

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3D printed plastic gears

Delivery time from one to three days
No minimum order quantity
CAD configurator for gears and racks online
For prototypes
Custom designs available
Various material options
High wear rate

Use the configurator

Mechanically manufactured gears

Made of iglidur® bar stock
Economically efficient in the case of small to medium-sized quantities
For high-volume gears
Various materials to choose from
FDA options available
Custom design options

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Industries and customers using plastic gears

Plastic gears in rail technology

To reduce interruptions of rail journeys, track switches are used. They ensure the seamless transition of the rail vehicles from one track to another. Reliable track switches are fundamental for a smooth operation of passenger and freight transport.

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Railway switch with a magnified detail of the drive unit and gears.

Polymer gears for the charging system of electric cars

Easelink, a company from Graz, has developed "Matrix Charging", a charging system consisting of two components. A charging pad connected to the mains is installed in the car park. A connector on the bottom of the e-car drops down when the car is parked over the pad. The charging process starts automatically, without the driver having to connect a cable - similar to inductive charging, but with up to ten times the charging power and with 99 per cent efficiency. Easelink used 3D printed iglidur® gears in the connector prototype's mechanics, chosen for wear resistance and fast turnaround.

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An electric car charges wirelessly on an igus Matrix charging plate beside gears.

Plastic gears in e-bikes

E-bikes are becoming increasingly lighter and more quiet. During operation, there are hardly any motor noises to be heard. However, resourceful inventors, such as Lars Hartmann from Reichshof, are not content with that. The bicycle chain's background noise was too loud so a metallic chain sprocket served as a guide roller for the chain to prevent it from colliding with the frame, but caused tremendous operating noise. In search of a remedy, he used the 3D printing service , which manufactured individual components cost-effectively with a 3D printer.

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A cyclist on an e-bike rides along a gravel path.

Plastic gears in the fire brigade

The on-site fire brigade of Fraport AG manages fire safety at the airport in Frankfurt am Main. Its airport fire engines have roof-mounted water cannons which use a servomotor to change the angle of the spray nozzle. As this angle is also changed while water is being sprayed, the load on the servomotor is considerable. After being in use for ten years, the gears in the cannon have become worn and the the roof-mounted cannons were repaired using printed gears.

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Fire engine with a 3D-printed robot arm on the roof.

Gears in the automotive industry

For many years igus® has supplied plastic gears for automotive actuator applications including throttle control, tailgate operation, and seat positioning. They are engineered to reduce torque and power draw while eliminating grease. Injection-moulded to specified material and tooling parameters, gearing quality is optimised for both mechanical performance and acoustics.

Gear actuator with gears and a worm drive in a dark housing.

Frequently asked questions about plastic gears

A plastic gear is a round component that has uniformly distributed teeth around its circumference. It transfers force between two rotating gears or between a gear and a rack. Plastic gears are typically made of either POM, nylon, PEEK, PET, and tribologically optimised polymers such as igus' materials.

Common gear types include spur, helical, bevel, rack and pinion, and planetary gears.

Many plastic gears require silicone-based or synthetic greases, however igus® gears are manufactured using polymers where solid lubricants are integrated directly into the material, allowing dry-running operation.

Plastic gears are usually made of either POM, nylon, PEEK, PET, and tribologically optimised polymers such as igus' materials, where they are manufactured through injection moulding or 3D printing.

The module indicates the size of a gear. The module is calculated by dividing the pitch circle diameter by the number of teeth (m= d/z).
Please note that only gears with the same module can be combined.

Plastic gears can be used in all industries involving moving applications. Common industries where igus gears are used include automotive, railway, and e-bikes.

Depending on the area of application, we offer special materials which, for example, have FDA conformity or certain fire standards (e.g. the automotive sector) or similar.

Yes, the production of special geometries is possible and can be realised for all quantity scenarios thanks to our diverse manufacturing processes. We would be happy to advise you individually on your special geometry and the appropriate material. You can request your customised gear here

igus® plastic gears require no external lubrication and are therefore maintenance-free. Customers also benefit from a long service life thanks to wear-resistant materials, which we achieve through the formulations of the iglidur® materials. Compared to metal gears, plastic gears are low-noise and offer optimum emergency running properties. The tribological optimisation of the materials also results in a low coefficient of friction.

We have test rigs in our test laboratory to assess the performance of our gears in various scenarios. igus® also offer free samples for your application-related tests.

You can buy plastic gears directly from igus®, including their bevel gears, spur gears, and gear racks.

Rack and pinion gears are designed to convert rotational motion to linear motion and the other way around. They consist of a circular gear and a toothed rack.