Lehvoss Develops New High Performance Compounds For Automotive Gear Wheels

New LUVOCOM 1-8181 and 1-8520 compounds polyamide 66 fortified with carbon fibers and impact modifiers, have been developed for gear wheels subject to high stresses. The strengths of these compounds at room temperature and at 120°C (240°F) have been increased by approximately 80% compared with standard polyamide 66 compounds. As an additional benefit, these new materials also exhibit an increased impact strength that meets or exceeds the requirements of many gear wheel applications. Depending on the service life of the component, the continuous operating temperature is 120°C (240°F) and up to 150°C (302°F) for short periods. “This combination of properties expands the engineering envelope for ultra-high performance plastic gearing,” explained Lefteris Valsamis, General Manager, Lehvoss North America.

Because of their technical and economic advantages, plastic gear wheels are currently displacing conventional metal designs in many industrial applications. In addition to their good processing characteristics, excellent design freedom, and mass production cost effectiveness, plastics also offer benefits such as high noise insulation, weight reduction, functional integration, and chemical resistance. Incorporating lubrication into the materials leads to an improvement in the tribological properties of plastic gear wheels which also contributes to a cleaner operating environment due to the elimination of external lubrication. Ultimately both higher performance and lower maintenance costs are achieved.  “We offer formulations to create tailor-made compounds meeting the customer’s exact engineering requirements” said Valsamis.