Cavity Design Method for Injection-Molded Spur Gears

Abstract

Mold cavities of gears should be made larger than the product specification since plastics shrink when changing from a molten to a solid state. For injection molded spur gears, two design methods for the compensation of shrinkage are widely used. One is the module correction method and the other is the pressure angle correction method. Both methods are based on the assumption that shrinkage occurs toward the center of a molded gear. This paper deals with the shrinkage rate and proposes a method of designing gear cavity derived from the measured shrinkage rates which govern the outside diameter, the tooth depth and the tooth thickness of a molded gear. The proposed method imposes no restriction on the shrinkage direction and provides a cavity with all of the fundamental gear design parameters.