Is it possible to mold your own gears?

[That_One_Guy]

This might be an odd question or thread in the wrong spot sorry I'm a noob.
I know people use mills, lathes, and CNCs to make custom RC parts but I was wondering could you take a Spur and make a mold of it then get some aluminum or other metal and melt it down and pour it into the mold and make a metal spur.
If the mold was a little off you could clean up the rough places with a Dremel or sand paper. But has anyone done it or attempted it? I have a furnace I made a while back it is made of a sand and Plaster of Paris mixture and works great.

[JK Krawler]

I don't it would be very strong like a machined part,unless it was some sort of ductile steel

[That_One_Guy]

So your saying it could work? In theory it should.

[Wicked Monkey]

Anything is possible. It is an issue of time and cost in my opinion.

[Calderwood]

If you have gone as far as to build a furnace than you already know its possible.

[warren]

I would say unless you are going to start mass producing them to sell, it's probably not worth your time. when you could just buy a metal gear from a store already. not saying you can't do it. just my 2 cents.

[supermoturd]

You can usually get precision component manufacturers like W. M. Berg to manufacture custom gears for you in the material of your choice. I got some estimates on a specialized gear that I designed in grad school and the prices were pretty reasonable. WM Berg: Part Customization and Engineering Services

[That_One_Guy]

I never thought to go to a website that makes it but the Spur I'm trying to remake is a Spur that has no aftermarket sellers. The stock one is bad because just the heat of the motor softens it to a point were every time you use it, it takes all the teeth off. Before I attempt to do this does anyone know if there is any aftermarket spurs for a Vaterra Glamis Uno?

[C*H*U*D]

Like this?

Vaterra 48P Ring Gear (64T) [VTR242008] | RC Cars & Trucks - A Main Hobbies

[wings_of_fire]

That One Guy,

The mechanical properties of aluminium do not suit heavy load gear applications.

There are various process in which gears are manufactured
1] Machining a stock
2] Casting molten metal and then machining
3] Pressure Die casting
4] Vaccum casting
5] Forging stock to a rough shape of the gear and then machining it to finish
6] Gear profile rolling
7] Injection moulding plastic gears
Then there is the heat treatment process for metal gears which is absolutely important.

I know you are willing to cast gears using your furncae, but there will be metallurgical issues that will create a weak cast aluminium. In your furnace there is a high possibility that unnecessary impurities will get mixed into the aluminium changing its material composition. The cast gear probably won't have the tensile strength that an induction furnace coupled with pressure die casting machine can give.

I would say, if you can cast brass and machine its gears then those will work fine with low levels of load and not loose the involute profile on the gear teeth. But you do the same with aluminium and you will loose the gear tooth profile within no time. Brass would need a higher melting temperature and will be heavy.

Here is a beautiful video showing how aluminium gravity die casting is done as well as pressure die casting in the first few minutes.

[wings_of_fire]

Originally Posted by That_One_Guy

I was wondering could you take a Spur and make a mold of it then get some aluminum or other metal and melt it down and pour it into the mold and make a metal spur.

No not at all. The gear tooth profile will be way of course to even work efficiently. Gears have to have machining and hardening processes with the right material used.

You will fail with it, but you should try it and fail. You will learn much better than experience shared with words..

[That_One_Guy]

Oh alright. CHUD I need a spur not a ring gear but something along those lines. I guess Ill buy a aftermarket spur and maybe mod it a bit to make it work. Thanks for the feedback guess. You saved my from spending a lot of time to fail.

[boosted4lyf]

Originally Posted by wings_of_fire

No not at all. The gear tooth profile will be way of course to even work efficiently. Gears have to have machining and hardening processes with the right material used.

You will fail with it, but you should try it and fail. You will learn much better than experience shared with words..

what an inspiring post

[Calderwood]

What about using the center of your stripped spur and bolting a more standard spur to the face of it?

[wings_of_fire]

Originally Posted by boosted4lyf

what an inspiring post

Because learning by doing is the best method. Practical experience is much better than words. He won't loose anything trying. Infact he will learn much more than what he intended.

Trust me,there is no negative aspect to it.

[MRCrackhead]

Originally Posted by wings_of_fire

Because learning by doing is the best method. Practical experience is much better than words. He won't loose anything trying. Infact he will learn much more than what he intended.

Trust me,there is no negative aspect to it.

Why don't you go learn how to suture a self inflicted bullet wound to the groin; then report back to us about what you've learned.

I'll take your word for it vs trying it myself.

[JohnRobHolmes]

Originally Posted by wings_of_fire

No not at all. The gear tooth profile will be way of course to even work efficiently. Gears have to have machining and hardening processes with the right material used.

You will fail with it, but you should try it and fail. You will learn much better than experience shared with words..

It's good advice for people that want to learn. If I gave up after my first few motors, where would we be? All the features I wanted were laughed off or discouraged by existing motor makers. Hand wound armatures? Big Jim told me flat out I was wasting my time wanting them for crawlers. Fb12 magnets? Multiple companies warned me they wouldn't start up. Neo mags? Never could be smooth starting with regular 3 pole arms, because nobody did it before. Not only did I prove every "fact" wrong, I learned the errors that caused previous failures in the process.

I learned what I know because of intentional failures. Occasionally, conventional wisdom is based more in ignorance.


Have some fun, stoke up that furnace, learn why cast gears are difficult to produce. You could make some pretty jewelry in the process

[boosted4lyf]

Originally Posted by wings_of_fire

No not at all.....
You will fail..... you should try it and fail.

Originally Posted by wings_of_fire

Because learning by doing is the best method. Practical experience is much better than words. He won't loose anything trying. Infact he will learn much more than what he intended.

Trust me,there is no negative aspect to it.

if that doesnt get you motivated i dont know what will

[canuckcrawler]

Originally Posted by boosted4lyf

if that doesnt get you motivated i dont know what will

I don't believe it was intended to be negative. If you never try, and fail, you will never learn anything worth knowing. Failure is just one stop on the road to success.

[Sr.Irie]

I have molded many custom gears and parts including spur gears with this stuff IE-3075 Polyurethane it is stronger than most injection molded plastic spurs and parts you get at the local hobby store. It can be hand mixed and molded at home with a silicon mold and if you really want to make sure its strong put it in a vacuum chamber and make sure all the air bubbles are out. The stuff is crazy strong.