01
Noise and vibration at speed
A few microns of pitch error or a badly chosen pressure angle turns into gear whine above 3,000 rpm. The gear passes a slow bench spin and fails on the machine. We measure pitch and runout before shipping.
Precision Gear Manufacturing
Spur Gears
Straight-tooth spur gears and cluster assemblies cut to your drawing. Hobbing, shaping and profile grinding on 127 CNC machines, with tolerances held to ±0.005 mm and full inspection reports on request.
From one piece12-hour DFM reply±0.005 mmUp to 4,000 mmISO 9001 / IATF 16949
±0.005 mmAchievable gear tolerance
15 yearsGear and shaft production
127High-precision CNC machines
99.99%Qualification rate
Where spur gears go wrong
Four problems that show up on the test bench
Most rejected gears are not rejected for the reason the drawing suggests.
02
Tooth wear inside the first year
Soft material or a case depth that never reached spec shows up as pitting and flank wear long before the service interval. Hardness and case depth get checked, not assumed.
03
Bore and shaft do not line up
Concentricity between bore and pitch circle drifts on second-operation work. The gear fits the shaft but the mesh runs tight on one side. One setup or a dedicated fixture keeps the datum intact.
04
Quotes that take a week
A gear drawing sits in an inbox while a line waits for a replacement. We return a quotation and a DFM analysis within 12 hours, and production can start the next day.
How we cut spur gears
Matching the cutting process to the tooth
Module, face width, material and quantity decide the process, not habit.
Cutting methods
Hobbing, shaping and profile grinding
Hobbing covers the bulk of straight-tooth work: spur gears, cluster gears and small pinions with module 0.5 to 6. It is fast, and on a rigid setup it holds lead and profile close enough for most drive trains.
When the gear is internal, or the shoulder blocks a hob, shaping takes over. After heat treatment, profile grinding restores the flank geometry that distortion moved. That sequence is what keeps a case-hardened gear quiet.
- 1External spur gearsHobbed or ground, up to 4,000 mm on the largest platform.
- 2Internal spur gearsShaped, with the tooth space checked against a master.
- 3Cluster assembliesMultiple tooth sets on one body, phased to a common datum.
Accuracy control
What we measure before the gear ships
Inspection is not a final gate here. Raw material certificates are checked on arrival, in-process dimensions are monitored at each operation, and the finished gear gets a full dimensional and functional check before it is packed.
For spur gears we look at pitch variation, total profile error, lead error, runout and backlash against the mating part. Reports are available on request, and every shipment carries 100% inspection.
- 1Tolerance±0.005 mm (0.0002 in) on critical gear dimensions.
- 2Surface finishRa 0.8–1.6 μm as ground, down to Ra 0.2–0.8 μm when specified.
- 3TraceabilityMaterial lot and inspection records kept with the job.
Selection guide
Which process fits your spur gear
Start from tooth type, size and quantity.
| Condition | Process | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| External tooth, module 0.5–6 | Hobbing | Pumps, gearmotors, conveyors |
| Internal tooth or blocked shoulder | Shaping | Planetary sets, ring gears |
| Hardened flanks after heat treat | Profile grinding | Automotive, EV drive units |
| Prototype or one-off | CNC milling then hobbing | Fixtures, test rigs |
| Large diameter, low volume | 5-axis milling + grinding | Industrial machinery |
What we run
Gear and shaft work we take on
One drawing or a full assembly, from a single piece to a 10,000+ run.
01
External spur gears
Straight-tooth gears hobbed or ground, with bore, keyway and hub turned in the same workflow.
02
Internal spur gears
Shaped internal teeth for planetary carriers and ring applications, checked against a master.
03
Cluster gear assemblies
Two or more tooth sets on one body, phased and pinned to a shared datum, supplied assembled.
04
Gear shafts and pinions
Integral pinions turned and hobbed on mill-turn centers, so the bearing journal and tooth share a centerline.
05
Heat treatment coordination
Case hardening, through hardening and nitriding arranged to your hardness and case depth callouts.
06
Finishing and marking
Black oxide, electroless nickel, bead blasting and laser marking with a 1.5 mm minimum character height.
Capability range
What we can hold on a spur gear order
Numbers below are what the shop floor delivers, not catalogue limits.
| Item | Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Module | 0.5–6 | Outside this range, ask first |
| Maximum part size | 4,000 mm | Largest travel 4,000 × 400 × 150 mm |
| Tolerance | ±0.005 mm | Critical gear dimensions |
| Finish (ground) | Ra 0.8–1.6 μm | To Ra 0.2–0.8 μm on request |
| Material | Steel, stainless, brass, alloy | 1045, 4140, 17-4PH, C36000 and more |
| Order size | 1 to 10,000+ | No minimum order quantity |
Why GreatLight
Six things that decide the outcome
Equipment, process control and the paperwork behind the part.
±0.005
Tolerance we hold
0.0002 in on critical gear dimensions, verified on the finished part rather than assumed from the setup.
15Y
Years in gear work
Gear and shaft production since 2011, across automotive, robotics, medical and industrial drives.
127
CNC machines
16 simultaneous 5-axis centers, 12 four-axis mills, 27 three-axis machines and 16 mill-turn centers.
4,000
Millimeters maximum
Large gear bodies and shafts on the biggest platform, plus a Ø400 mm rotary table for curved work.
99.99%
Qualification rate
100% inspection before shipment, with raw material checks and in-process monitoring upstream.
12h
Quote turnaround
Quotation and free DFM analysis within 12 hours. Production can start within 24 hours.
7,600 m²Manufacturing space
150Technicians
3Wholly-owned plants
4ISO certifications held
Industry fit
Where our spur gears end up
Automotive and EV
Drive unit and actuator gears held to IATF 16949 process control, with case depth verified after heat treatment.
- ±0.005 mm
- IATF 16949
- 100% inspection
Robotics and automation
Low-backlash spur and cluster gears for joint drives, where tooth-to-tooth error drives positioning repeatability.
- Ra 0.8–1.6 μm
- Low runout
- Cluster assemblies
Medical devices
Small module gears for pumps and instruments, produced under ISO 13485:2016 controls with clean handling.
- ISO 13485
- Module 0.5+
- Reports on request
Industrial machinery
Large spur gears and gear shafts for conveyors, mixers and presses, up to 4,000 mm on the largest platform.
- Up to 4,000 mm
- 1045 / 4140
- 3–5 day ship
FAQs
Questions engineers ask before ordering
What information do you need to quote a spur gear?
Module or diametral pitch, number of teeth, pressure angle, face width, bore and hub dimensions, material, and any heat treatment or surface finish callout.
A 2D drawing with a tolerance block is enough. If you only have a sample or a 3D model, send that and we will work back to a manufacturable drawing.
Can you cut internal spur gears as well as external?
Yes. Internal teeth are shaped rather than hobbed, which is why the shoulder or bore geometry matters. Send the mating pinion or the center distance and we can check the mesh before cutting.
Internal work generally has a higher minimum module than external work because the shaping cutter needs clearance at the root.
How do you control distortion after heat treatment?
We plan the sequence so grinding happens after hardening, not before. Case depth and hardness are checked on the treated part, and the flanks are ground back to the drawing tolerance.
For thin web or long shaft gears, we may leave stock and finish in a second setup to avoid warping the tooth.
What tolerance can you actually hold on a spur gear?
±0.005 mm (0.0002 in) on critical gear dimensions, with surface finish typically Ra 0.8–1.6 μm as ground. Tighter finishes down to Ra 0.2–0.8 μm are available when the application needs it.
If your design calls for something tighter than that, say so on the RFQ. We will tell you whether it is achievable rather than quote it and find out later.
Do you have a minimum order quantity?
None. We run from a single prototype gear to 10,000+ part runs on the same process.
For one-off gears the setup cost dominates the piece price, so it is worth combining several tooth counts in one order when the design is still open.
How fast can you deliver spur gears?
Quotation and DFM analysis come back within 12 hours. Production can start within 24 hours of approval, and parts typically ship in 3–5 days depending on material and heat treatment.
Heat treatment and grinding add time. We will give you the real date on the quote, not a best-case one.
Which materials do you recommend for spur gears?
1045 and 4140 for general power transmission, 17-4PH and 316L where corrosion matters, and C36000 brass for light loads and quiet running.
For high-load gears, a case-hardening steel with ground flanks usually outlasts a through-hardened part of the same size.
Can you keep our drawings confidential?
Yes. Uploads are secure, and we sign an NDA on request before any drawing changes hands. Inspection records and material lots stay tied to your job file.
If your drawing carries a controlled distribution note, tell us at the RFQ stage and we will follow it.
Send us your spur gear drawing
Upload the drawing or 3D model and we will return a quotation with a DFM analysis within 12 hours. From one prototype gear to a 10,000+ run, with 100% inspection before shipment.
12-hour quote100% inspectionNo minimum order
