Yes, we do. This is something we offer for customers who want extra peace of mind. We call it a gear run-in testing or a gear meshing test.
What does that mean? Basically, we put your gear together with a mating gear – either one you send us or one we make – and run them together under load. We check how they sound, how they feel, and how they wear.
This is especially useful for high-precision gears, large gears, or gears that are expensive to make and hard to replace. You want to know they are right before they go into your machine.
During the test, we run the gears at different speeds and loads. We listen for noise – clicking, whining, or grinding sounds. We check for smoothness and vibration. We also look at the contact pattern on the teeth. That tells us if the gears are meshing correctly across the whole tooth width. A good contact pattern means even load distribution and long life. A bad pattern means the gears will wear out fast or break.
If we find any problems during the test, we can fix them before we ship. Maybe the backlash needs to be adjusted. Maybe the tooth contact needs to be corrected. Maybe the gear needs some fine-tuning on the grinder. We sort it out so you do not have to.
The run-in test also does one more thing. It helps the gear teeth settle in. When gears are new, the surfaces are not perfectly smooth. Running them together under light load helps smooth out the high spots and improve the contact pattern. That makes the gear run better from day one.
We keep records of the test results, so if you ever need to check something later, we have the data. We can also send you pictures of the contact pattern and a summary of the test results.
This service is not required for every gear we make, but it is available if you want it. For big orders or critical applications, a lot of our customers ask for it. It adds a little time and cost, but it saves you from surprises after installation.
If you think your gears need this, just tell us. We will set it up and show you the results.