VESTAKEEP® PEEK

Plastic gears have many advantages over metal gears: they are lightweight, energy-efficient, allow dry running and can be produced economically by injection molding in high quality without the extensive post-processing required for metals. They have been used for years, especially when low vibration and noise are required, e.g., in electronic or household appliances. However, their application at higher temperatures or extreme loads have been limited and reserved for metal gears.

Gears made from PEEK are now more and more applied in these areas. Among other things, they can be used at temperatures of 130 °C in engine oil, exhibit low abrasion and little frictional loss, can withstand high mechanical and tribological loads, and save energy thanks to the lower mass moment of inertia. In particular, they are significantly quieter than the metal gears used to date.

Evonik works in close cooperation with its customers to develop high-performance gears for new applications. We benefit from our own gear test rig to generate specific material data that can be used to optimally design gears made of our high-performance plastics. Tests are possible in a temperature range from -20 °C to 260 °C, both in dry and lubricated condition.