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The Kleiss Difference is in the inspection…

~ They've invested in the equipment and developed the software ~

The physical dimensions of polymer molded gears can be any shape, any size. When a mold cavity is constructed, shrinkage of the gear from the cavity walls is estimated, and the part is formed. But without Kleiss precision inspection, you never know what you've got.

Kleiss Gears Unique Gear Inspection

The president and founder of Kleiss Gears, Rod Kleiss, has been at the cutting edge of polymer gearing technology and advancements for over two decades. As a visionary, he developed unprecedented software that mathematically evaluates and determines the profile form error and concentricity, as well as base circle shrinkage error and actual tooth thickness of any gear, polymer or metal.

Shrinkage in Molded Polymer Gears

As the molder Kleiss Gears must:

• Estimate shrinkage
• Cut the cavity
• Mold the gear
• Determine how close they've come to the targeted dimensions

These types of measurements are not trivial. The entire form of the gear, including the involute base circle and tooth thickness must be accurately measured. Since there is currently no standardized system for directly measuring gear shrinkage, Kleiss Gears has taken the lead in this technology.

Kleiss Gears Inspection System

Kleiss Gears has developed its own, unprecedented, system for measuring shrinkage, and they take no short cuts.

Simple outside diameter measurements or even roll testing with a calibrated master gear cannot characterize plastic gear shrinkage - the involute form must be measured independently. Molded gears do not shrink in any simple fashion, there are a minimum of four distinct shrinkage rates for any gear.

Even simple features such as outside and root diameters must be carefully inspected. A simple caliper check will often miss important features. These diameters must be inspected for total form error as well as concentricity to the principle bore or datum. At Kleiss Gears they probe the tip and root of each tooth and construct a best-fit diameter with respect to the gear datum.