Plastic Gears Pricing and Costs

Compare plastic gears pricing and costs to get the best buy
By Steven A. Ottem Plastic gears offer a low-cost alternative to brass, carbon steel or other metal gears. You can find a plastic worm gear in a variety of places from the string tightener on a musical instrument to the automatic transmission in your car. While manufacturers limit the use of plastics for gears to small plastic gears, advances in composites have made it possible for you to buy plastic gears of larger sizes. The lower price of plastic gears has also encouraged engineers to expand the use for these gears beyond traditional plastic hobby gears.

The toy and hobby industry is an area where you will find extensive use of plastic gears. Hobby groups including radio control enthusiasts continue to debate the actual cost and efficiency of plastic gears over other materials. Some of the benefits include the following aspects:

1. Plastic gears weigh less than metal gears.

2. Plastic gears function with little or no lubrication.

3. Plastic gears resist corrosion in high-moisture environments.

Look for rare plastic gears to meet your specific needs

If you are building your own machine, such as a robot, aircraft, monster truck, train or boat, you may need a gear that is hard to find. You can find a source for miniature bevel gears or plastic spur gears, for example. Or you may wish to find a company that will help you design your own plastic spur gear.
Try:  Engineeringtalk, in addition to enumerating the advantages of plastic gears, lists a wide range of gears costing from $3 to $11 with discounts for larger purchases. It quotes sizes in both inches and metrics. Plastic Machining boasts that it has the largest inventory of plastic gears and will quote you a price for a custom-made plastic gear.

Consult the experts for their opinions on plastic gears pricing and costs

Engineers and mechanics state their opinions on the cost of plastic gears. Usually, this appears as an argument for or against using plastic gears instead of using metal gears. Plastic gears are initially cheaper to manufacture, but if they fail to last as long as a metal gear, you must then figure in the cost of downtime and expense of replacement.
Try:  Power Transmission discusses the use of plastic gears in automobiles, pointing out that the lighter weight promotes fuel efficiency. It offers information on why plastic gears may cost more in the long run. PlasticsTechnology presents an article on the advances plastic gears offer in materials and efficiency and includes a section comparing costs to metal gears. It estimates that plastic gears cost 50% to 90% less than metal gears.

Shop to buy plastic gears at the best price

You will find an abundant supply of sources ready to help you find plastic gears. Online, you will be able to compare cost among plastic gear sellers and compare the cost of plastic gears to metal gears.
Try:  Quality Transmission Components pictures a large number of all kinds of gears for sale, making it possible to compare prices between plastic and other materials. Select plastic spur gears to get specifications and a catalog number which will lead to pricing, beginning at about $10 for a single gear. Gizmoszone caters to the robot-building customer and exemplifies a specialty gear supplier. It offers prices, beginning at $2 per gear, and specifications.