Durable 3D printed worm gears

A worm wheel is the counter-component to the worm in a worm gear. As sliding capacity is especially important for worm wheels, they are often manufactured from bronze. Printing lower quantities of worm wheels in 3D from high-performance polymer is significantly more cost-effective and, most importantly, faster - whilst delivering comparable properties.

Worm gears are used wherever reliable, precise, quiet gearbox function is necessary. Quiet, robust operation is especially important. Worm gears can be used to implement axle offsets between drive and output. Large outputs can be transferred in very small spaces. Hence, the worm wheel's primary areas of use are conveyor systems, robot technology, profile processing machines, separating systems, extrusion devices, mining machines and rowing machines. Worm gears are also used in presses and rolling mills, stage and theatre equipment, actuators, in machinery construction and lift technology.

A worm gear is a special kind of gear in the shape of a worm. The tooth winds around the gear's shaft, much like that of a screw. The mating gear is the worm wheel. The worm can be thought of as a spur gear with diagonal threads. Its special feature is that the worm only has one tooth. However, there are worms with two or more teeth. This design makes the gear ratio relatively high. A popular property of the worm gear is its self-locking feature. The worm can drive the worm wheel. If the roles are reversed, this is prevented by the self-locking feature. Moving large masses can also be problematic, since abrupt gearbox stoppage is not recommended in such applications.

Not always. Some materials like iglidur® polymers are self-lubricating and designed for dry operation, reducing maintenance.

Where are 3D printed worm gears commonly used?

Important factors include:

• Tooth profile (typically involute)
• Backlash (to prevent jamming)
• Clearance (0.1–0.2 mm recommended)
• Pitch circle diameter (PCD) for proper meshing