Although steel is the most common material for gears, in many cases you can use nylon hobby gears to minimize cost and/or weight. Nylon gears have a number of advantages. They are resistant to damage by dirt, they are well-suited for meshing at low speeds and they have a good tolerance for skipping.

Another reason to use plastic/nylon hobby gears is to help make consumer products more affordable. Nylon gears are used in everything from printers to servo motors and VCRs to optical storage devices. This guide should prove helpful to gain more insight into nylon gears pricing and costs.

1. Obtain pricing for nylon hobby gears.

2. Get a quote for customized small nylon gears.

3. Know what the cost is of small surplus nylon gears.

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Get prices for nylon hobby gears for your projects

Hobby plastic gears find wide use. This is so because, in many hobby applications, the hardness and strength of steel is less important than the durability, weight and cost benefits of plastic hobby gears. Steel gears are heavier and more expensive, while a nylon hobby gear can add less weight to the hobby, be more economical and still function satisfactorily. Beveled gears range from $4.94 to $10.79 depending on gear ratio and number of teeth. Miters range from $3.19 to more than $42 and spurs from $7.11 to $20.56.

I recommend: Small Parts and Bearings carries a variety of styles of nylon hobby gears, including beveled, mitred, spur gears and more. Click on each style to see their range of prices for each one. If you have a hobby that involves servo systems for which you need nylon gears, Hobbico is the place to look.

Know the cost of having small nylon gears designed and manufactured

Your optimized design may result in the need for non-standard nylon gears. You can have nylon gears for hobbies manufactured to your specifications. The cost of having custom gears made will depend on the size, material, style and quantity of gears you need.

I recommend: Custom Gear and Machining will manufacture any type of gear you need to your exact specifications, including nylon gears. Slide to the bottom of the web page and call them for pricing. Indiana Technology and Manufacturing is another manufacturer that will design and build nylon gears to your specs. Call to inquire about the price for the job you need to have done. Precision Gears will machine custom gears to your specifications.

Check on the availability and pricing of small surplus nylon gear products for your applications

In choosing to use plastic gears, hobby enthusiasts opt for the lower cost of plastic gears. Likewise, the hobbyist further saves money by shopping for a surplus nylon gear product that meets the requirements of the project.

I recommend: PRObelay sells nylon gears, both new and surplus, with pitch angles ranging from 16 pitch to 32 pitch. Most or all surplus gears go for less than $2. Electronic Surplus carries a multitude of electronic and related surplus parts, including nylon gears for about $3.50 apiece. You have to slide down the web page to see the gears listed.

There are many types of plastic gears but nylon gears are commonly produced by manufacturers because they offer good wear resistance, are lightweight, cost effective and process well. Three different types of gears used for many applications are spur, worm and helical. You can find plastic gears in diverse sectors such as automotive, aerospace and industrial. Likewise, you can utilize plastic or nylon hobby gears for use in low power drive items like motorized toys, robots and clocks.

Whether you need small nylon gears, plastic gears hobby supplies or different types of nylon gears, you can find suppliers online that can help you meet your specific business need. Some important specification to consider when searching for plastic or nylon gear products are face width, length; pitch diameter and number of teeth. Some other options that can help you locate the best distributors for your particular requirements include:

1. Compare multiple nylon gear products by browsing online catalogs from different suppliers.

2. Buy nylon gears from manufacturers that offer multiple types and sizes.

3. Find hobby plastic gears or nylon gears for your business.

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Find online catalogs from nylon gears distributors

You can locate many nylon gears suppliers that provide online catalogs with product specifications and prices to help you determine the exact product you need. Catalogs can provide easy reference, help you compare prices and narrow down your product search from different suppliers.

I recommend: MSC Industrial Supply carries a good selection of plastic spur gears in different pitch diameters. Stock Drive Products/Sterling Instruments is another supplier of plastic and nylon gears in various pitch diameters. Both companies provide pricing and product specifications.

Choose the right nylon gear product for specific application requirements

If you are searching for a specific type of nylon gear like worm and spur (in inch or metric), a small nylon gear or a variety of gear products, a good option is to locate manufacturers that can provide different types, sizes and diameters. Choose companies that can manufacture to your exact specifications, offer technical assistance and prototyping for your project needs.

I recommend: Rush Gears offers various gear types (nylon, plastic and other materials), different pitch diameters and inch/metric gears. The company also has prototyping services, and provides made to order small or miniature gears. Commercial Gear & Sprocket is a manufacturer of gears in materials that include nylon and delrin. It also offers a wide variety of gearing capabilities for many applications.

Select plastic hobby gears for your hobby store

If you own a hobby store, you know that your customers may need a variety of plastic gears for motorized toys, science projects, robots or for other uses. Stock up and keep a good supply of plastic hobby gears readily available for your customer needs.

I recommend: American Science & Surplus offers combination sets of plastic hobby gears. The Probelay Group has a good assortment of gears for a variety of hobby needs. You can find 64-pitch nylon gears and additional gear products and accessories at Jameco’s RobotStore.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  You can determine the pitch of nylon gears or any type gear by the number of teeth and the preferred pitch diameter. It is important to choose the right material for the construction of gears to ensure optimal performance of gear materials.

Whether you are talking about nylon hobby gears or plastic gears, you can replace gears in all kinds of machines. A major reason for using a nylon gear product is to reduce maintenance. Often a plastic gear will not need as much lubrication as a metal counterpart. Two metal gears meshing together can wear faster than a metal gear on a plastic gear. A plastic component will provide a measure of safety by failing when other parts of a machine cause too much friction. Premature wear of the nylon gear indicates that other problems exist whereas two metal gears may continue to run until the other problems cause a much more costly failure.

You can find help with installation and maintenance for nylon gears, as well as plenty of places to buy a nylon gear, from online sources. If your project calls for plastic gears, hobby shops are happy to help you out. A variety of objects that use replacement plastic hobby gears include the following:

1. Radio-controlled model airplanes and helicopters use gears in the motor.

2. Home-built robots use nylon gear products for head and limb movement.

3. Telescopes and scientific apparatus use small nylon gears to control the aiming apparatus.

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Go to forums that discuss the installation and maintenance for nylon gears

Whatever your hobby, plastic gears may play a part of it. You can find help with all your plastic gear needs and with installation and maintenance issues from fellow enthusiasts, whether you enjoy sewing, fishing or flying model aircraft.

I recommend: The best method of oiling and maintaining nylon gears in a fishing reel appears on World Seafishing. Included is a step-by-step guide for installing nylon gears in the reel. RCGroups hosts a similar discussion for model helicopter fliers on whether or not lubrication is an accepted method of maintaining a small nylon gear. Those who say "yes" recommend preferred products.

Consult resources for replacing nylon gears in your car or CD player

If you are an automobile-restoring enthusiast, you can find help with your project involving installation and maintenance for nylon gears. Blogs and discussion groups provide a source for finding and help with installing everything including nylon gears.

I recommend: If your passion is restoring a Porsche, check out Clark's Garage, which offers a full discussion of installing a replacement nylon gear in the sunroof mechanism. It also has other shop manuals that feature parts that use gears. For help replacing plastic gears in your CD player, go to diyAudio.com where you will find a description of installing nylon gears and a conversation about finding replacement gears.

Find a source for your science project's nylon hobby gear needs

If you are inclined towards science, you will find abundant resources for your hobby. You can find sources for new and used plastic gears and all kinds of forums on fabricating and design, as well as ones on installation and maintenance issues.

I recommend: If your hobby is astronomy, AstronomyAsylum.com helps you with your plastic and nylon gear needs, including fabrication and installation of gears for your telescope mount. Appliance Design provides a good discussion on the best reasons to use or convert to plastic gears. If you are interested in designing your own gears, you will find this interesting.

Nylon gears are readily used in industrial applications due to the strength, durability and heat-resistant qualities of nylon. Available in different sizes and styles, nylon gears exist to fit most industrial and mechanical needs. From worm and spur nylon gears to nylon bevel gears and hobby gears made of nylon, research nylon gear types and styles for the best gears for your needs.

Whether you are a distributor of nylon gears or use nylon gears in your business, familiarize yourself with these important nylon gears key terms to expand your knowledge of the mechanism.

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Worm nylon gears

Worm nylon gears are used when speed reduction between the gear and the wheel is necessary. Worm nylon gears work smoothly; the more threads in a nylon gear, the more efficient it operates.

I recommend: RushGears.com offers further information on how worm nylon gears work.

Spur nylon gears

A widely-used type of gear, spur nylon gears can be found in a range of products such as alarm clocks and sprinklers. Spur nylon gears offer an efficient, smooth operation where the speed of the gear is determined by the number of teeth on the gear.

I recommend: EdgertonGear.com provides further information on the uses and advantages of spur nylon gears.

Nylon spline gears

Nylon spline gears have guarded internal-facing teeth. This type of gear handles heavier loads.

I recommend: For more information on nylon spline gears and gears in general, visit gearsandstuff.com.

Nylon herringbone gears or double helical gears

Used in pairs, nylon herringbone gears, also called 'double helical gears,' have teeth shaped like the letter 'v' which transmit power. The equal power transfer between pairs of nylon herringbone gears eliminates thrust. This type of gear is appropriate for use in heavy machinery applications.

I recommend: GlobalSpec offers in-depth information on nylon herringbone gears.

Nylon bevel gears

Nylon bevel gears have straight or spiral teeth and are used when a shaft needs to change directions. Two nylon bevel gears working together are mounted on perpendicular gear shafts.

I recommend: Read more about the uses and types of nylon bevel gears at BostonGear.com.

Nylon crossed helical gears

A nylon crossed helical gear uses angled teeth to initiate the rotation of the gear. This type of gear is used in cars due to the quiet operation of the gear.

I recommend: Find out more information on nylon crossed helical gears at GearsHub.com.