AGMA Member CompanySince 1946East Walpole, MA
AGMA Member CompanySince 1946East Walpole, MA
Helical gears made to your specifications
Commercial Gear & Sprocket manufactures custom helical gears for OEMs, machine builders, replacement applications and industrial equipment — combining specialized gear cutting, CNC machining and dedicated inspection equipment for demanding requirements.
Built to your drawings
Helical gears have teeth cut at an angle to the gear axis. The angled teeth engage progressively, which is why helical gears are a first choice for industrial power-transmission systems that need controlled tooth engagement and dependable performance.
We manufacture custom helical gears to your drawings, specifications, dimensions and tolerances. Send pre-machined blanks for gear cutting, or let us handle the complete job — machining, gear generation, secondary operations and final inspection.
Manufacturing range
Maximum diameter
Up to 16″
Helical gears manufactured up to 16 inches in diameter.
Maximum face width
Up to 36″
Face widths up to 36 inches for long, heavily loaded gears.
Diametral pitch
96 – 3 D.P.
From fine 96 D.P. teeth through coarse 3 D.P. teeth.
Product type
Custom helical gears
Manufacturing
To your requirements
Material, helix angle, bore configuration, tolerances, inspection, heat treatment and secondary machining are reviewed with every quotation. Working outside these ranges? Send us your drawing for review.
Helical gear cutting
Specialized gear-generating equipment, CNC machining, secondary operations and calibrated inspection — with the process chosen around the size, geometry, quantity and technical requirements of each gear.
Our primary process for helical gears, on Barber-Colman and Liebherr precision hobbers. Overall hobbing capability runs from about ¼″ to 60″, depending on the part.
Fellows gear shapers cut spur and helical gearing when part geometry or tooth configuration calls for shaping, from about ⅛″ to 36″ diameter.
CNC turning centers and a 4-axis CNC vertical mill handle the machining required before or after the teeth are generated.
Chamfering, automatic deburring, gear finishing, heat treatment through outside sources, metal finishing and final inspection.
Hobbing & shaping equipment
Our hobbing and shaping machinery is specifically set up for helical gearing. Hobbing capacity reaches 60″ overall, while helical gear product capacity stays at 16″ diameter × 36″ face and 96 to 3 D.P. — the range we can hold to your helical gear tolerances.
Precision hobbing · ¼″ – 60″ overall
Spur & helical shaping · ⅛″ – 36″
Machining before or after cutting
Helical gear design
On a helical gear several teeth share the load as they roll into mesh, so engagement is gradual rather than sudden. That only works when the tooth geometry is right on both mating gears.
These are the details we confirm from your drawing:
Helix angle and left or right hand, matched to the mating gear.
Angled teeth pick up the load gradually as the gears rotate.
Tooth lead and profile controlled and checked to your tolerance.
Material and heat treatment matched to load and duty cycle.
CNC machining
Helical gears often need machining before or after the teeth are generated — we handle it in the same job.
Diameters, faces and hubs turned to size on the blank.
Flats, slots and milled features produced to the drawing.
Bores machined to size and tolerance for the shaft fit.
Existing bores opened up to suit a new shaft.
Keyways cut to your shaft and keyway specification.
Holes for set screws, mounting and other drawing features.
Finishing & secondary operations
Coordinate every manufacturing requirement through one gear supplier.
Tooth edges chamfered to remove sharp corners after cutting.
Burrs removed from cut teeth and machined features.
Tooth finishing where your application requires it.
Specified heat treatment through trusted outside sources.
Finishes applied as your drawing requires.
Gear and dimensional checks before shipment.
Prototype to production
One-off helical gears for development and testing.
Worn or obsolete helical gears reproduced for existing equipment.
Small batches from your blanks or complete components.
Ongoing production-volume helical gear orders.
Industrial applications
We manufacture custom helical gears for industrial machinery and power-transmission applications where every gear must meet specific geometry, dimensional and operating requirements.
Smooth power transfer between parallel shafts.
Helical stages where controlled engagement matters.
Helical gears built to OEM drawings, prototype to production.
Worn or obsolete gears reproduced for existing drives.
Industries we serve
Helical gears for rail cars and track equipment.
Gearing for public transit vehicles and systems.
Precision helical gears for machine tool builders.
Helical gears for rock-drill assemblies and drilling equipment.
Heavy-duty helical gears for construction and mining equipment.
Custom helical gears built to OEM drawings.
Helical gearing manufactured for defense suppliers.
Fine-pitch helical gears for medical equipment.
Compact helical gears for power hand tool manufacturers.
Quality & inspection
Helical gears depend on accurate lead and profile. We use calibrated gear inspection equipment and documented inspection methods to verify your helical gears against the drawing, purchase order and project specifications.
Tooth lead checked on Fellows and ITW lead equipment.
Involute profile verified on dedicated profile checkers.
Variation between adjacent teeth evaluated.
Radial runout measured as the gear rotates.
Composite action checked on ITW composite testing equipment.
Tooth spacing around the gear measured.
Bores and critical dimensions verified to the drawing.
Any additional inspection on your drawing or PO.
Real-world troubleshooting
01
A rock-drill manufacturer had helical gears binding in an assembly.
02
We inspected sample parts and found excessive lead and profile error.
03
We developed a quality plan for the customer to prevent the problem recurring.
Gear manufacturing since 1946
Specialized helical gear equipment, in-house machining and inspection, and practical gear troubleshooting experience.
Third-generation and family-owned, making gears since 1946.
Helical gears made to your drawings, geometry, dimensions and tolerances.
Dedicated hobbing and shaping, backed by CNC machining and finishing.
Single prototypes to production runs, from your blanks or ours.
Lead, profile and composite testers plus 120+ years of combined experience.
Start your project
Send us your drawing, specifications, quantity, material requirements and delivery timeline. We will review your helical gear requirements and recommend the right manufacturing and inspection process.
Helical gear FAQ
A helical gear is a cylindrical gear with teeth cut at an angle to the gear axis. The angled teeth engage progressively as the gears rotate, which makes helical gears a common choice in industrial power-transmission applications.
Yes. We manufacture custom helical gears to your drawings, dimensions, gear geometry, tolerances and application requirements.
Our helical gear capacity covers gears up to 16 inches in diameter with face widths up to 36 inches.
We manufacture helical gears from 96 D.P. through 3 D.P. Requirements outside that range can be reviewed during quotation.
Depending on the part, we use helical gear hobbing or gear shaping together with CNC turning, milling, bore machining, keyways, chamfering, deburring, finishing and inspection.
Yes. We support single prototypes, short runs and long-run production orders. You can also supply your own blanks or ask us to handle additional machining.
Inspection follows your drawing and application. We use calibrated equipment to check lead, profile, composite error, tooth-to-tooth variation, runout and dimensional requirements, and we have diagnosed helical gears with excessive lead and profile error.
A drawing or CAD file, number of teeth, diameter, pitch or module, helix angle and hand, pressure angle, face width, bore and keyway, material, quantity, tolerances, inspection, heat treatment or finishing, and delivery requirements.
