For all their ubiquity and sometimes less than desirable characteristics of noisiness, spur gears offer several advantages which makes them the obvious choice in a number of applications. The myriad uses they are put to just confirms their versatility. Spur gears are used in metal cutting machines, internal combustion engines, mechanical clocks and watches, washing machines, rack and pinion mechanisms – and even in Lego!

Depending on their application, spur gears may be made of cast iron, steel and plastic, though this list is by no means exhaustive. Spur gears may be milled out of a variety of alloys, as the operating conditions and power transmission characteristics might require.

Spur gears are used for a number of reasons, despite other gear types being available and able to provide quieter or smoother operation:

• Cost –effective – Spur gears are the simplest gear to design and manufacture
   
• Easy installation – Unlike some other gear sets, spur gears can be replaced individually instead of as gear pairs.
   
• Efficiency – Spur gears are great at transferring power with the minimum of losses
   
• Constant velocity – A spur gear installation will receive a constant velocity ratio
   
• Reliability and slip – Spur gears are generally known to be more reliable as gears; particularly, when they are used as replacements for belt drive, the system ensures a lack of slip
   
• Availability – Because they are so commonly used and are the easiest gear to manufacture, spur gears are available easily, making system which use spur gears all the easier to repair

True Gear has over 40 years of experience in gear manufacturing. We manufacture all shapes and sizes of gears, including bevel, helical and spur gears. We adapt our designs to meet the exacting needs of each customer perfectly. If you want your spur gears designed to certain unique specifications, we have the expertise to do that for you.