Outcome
A POM gear route designed around quiet mesh, stable tooth geometry, and continuous-duty wear
When a product depends on gears that mate precisely and run near people — robotic arms, height-adjustable desks, automatic medical beds — the wrong plastic shows up as noise, drift, and early wear.
The challenge
The parts needed complex tooth geometry in a single mold, multi-gear mating precision, and silent, wear-resistant operation over a long service life. Lubrication was often impractical. The team needed a material and process call they could trust, not a catalog of options.
What we did
We specified POM (polyoxymethylene / acetal) and injection-molded gears to drawing. POM’s low friction, dimensional stability, and wear resistance are a strong fit for gear-on-gear duty where quiet operation matters.
DFM focused on:
- Tooth profiles that mold cleanly and hold mesh
- Tolerances that survive real assembly, not just CAD
- Process windows that keep dimensions stable run to run
Result
The project moved forward with a material and molding route built around quiet mesh, stable geometry, and the intended duty cycle — without asking the product team to become materials experts.
When this pattern fits
- Multi-gear mechanisms near users (noise matters)
- Sealed or hard-to-lubricate assemblies
- Specs where nylon or ABS would drift, squeak, or wear out early
If you’re building a motion product and need gears that behave in the real world, start a free project review.
Next step
Have a part like this in mind?
Send a drawing, sketch, or sample. A real engineer reviews it — usually within a business day, no commitment.