LNPTM COMPOUNDS WEAR AND FRICTION SOLUTIONS THERMOPLASTIC GEARING

THERMOPLASTIC GEARING 

Injection molded thermoplastic gears can 

replace die cast, machined and sintered metal 

gears in a variety of applications. They are 

attractive to part designers not only because of 

their low weight and design flexibility, but 

because they generally cost less to manufacture 

in mid to high volume applications. 

INTERNALLY LUBRICATED COMPOUNDS 

The addition of an internal lubricant to a 

thermoplastic can improve the wear resistance 

and reduce friction in plastic parts. Traditional 

lubricants like PTFE and PTFE/Si blends are 

common, with reinforcements like glass and 

carbon fiber adding strength and modulus. The 

use of high temperature resins like PEEK, PPS 

and PPA can give performance at elevated 

temperatures. 

When selecting materials for gear applications, 

data sheets reporting attributes tested to ASTM 

or ISO standards help by providing single-point 

data like tensile strength, flexural modulus and 

impact strength. But single-point data are often 

insufficient for gear designs because the 

physical and mechanical properties of 

thermoplastics vary with temperature and 

environmental changes. 

Multivariate data is needed to effectively 

compare materials, evaluate performance in 

specific application, and select the best material 

for the product. To meet this need, LNP has 

developed an extensive database of multi-variate 

data on its specialty compounds for gear 

applications. This information compliments 

single-point data and includes actual gear-on- 

gear wear testing.