When you order custom gears from us, you do not just get the gears. You also get a set of reports that show you exactly what we made and how we know it is right. This is especially important if you need to keep records for your own customers, for quality control, or just for your own peace of mind.
Let me walk you through the different reports we can provide, so you know what to expect.
- First, we can provide a ballooned drawing. This is just your original drawing with numbers placed inside little circles – those are the balloons – next to each important dimension. Then we attach a dimensional inspection report that lists every one of those numbered dimensions along with what we actually measured on your gears. You can look at the report, find the number that matches the balloon on the drawing, and see if our measurement falls within your tolerance. This makes it very easy to check our work.
- Second, we provide material certifications. These are sometimes called mill test reports or MTRs. They come from the steel mill that made the raw material we used for your gears. The report tells you the chemical composition of the steel – how much carbon, chromium, nickel, and other elements are in it. It also tells you some of the mechanical properties, like strength. This is how you know we used the grade of steel you asked for, not something cheaper.
- Third, we provide heat treatment reports. Heat treatment is the process of heating and cooling the gears to make them hard on the surface but tough on the inside. The report shows you the temperatures we used, how long we held the gears at those temperatures, and how fast we cooled them. It also includes hardness test results from after the treatment. This lets you verify that the gears were hardened properly.
- Fourth, we provide gear accuracy reports. These are based on standards like AGMA (that is the American Gear Manufacturers Association) or ISO (international standards). The report tells you how accurate the gear teeth are – things like tooth profile, lead, and pitch. It gives you a grade number, like AGMA Q10 or ISO 8. The higher the grade, the more accurate the gear. This is important if your application needs very precise movement or quiet operation.
- Fifth, we can provide gear meshing test reports. This is when we put your gear together with a mating gear – either one you send us or one we make – and check how they fit. We measure the backlash, which is the tiny gap between the teeth, and we check the contact pattern, which is where the teeth actually touch. A good contact pattern means the load will spread evenly across the teeth. A bad pattern means the gear might wear out fast or make noise.
All of these reports can be customized to match your drawing and your needs. If you only want certain reports, just tell us. If you need extra copies or a specific format, that is fine too. We want you to have the information you need to feel confident that your gears are right.
Some customers ask for all of these reports. Others just want the dimensional report and the material cert. Either way, we keep records on our end too, so if you lose your copy and need another one six months later, we can get it for you.
So the short answer is – you get as much or as little paperwork as you want. But we can provide ballooned drawings, dimensional reports, material certs, heat treat reports, gear accuracy reports, and meshing test reports. Just tell us what you need.