AGMA Member CompanySince 1946East Walpole, MA
AGMA Member CompanySince 1946East Walpole, MA
Custom rack and pinion manufacturing
Commercial Gear & Sprocket manufactures custom rack and pinion components for OEMs, machine builders, replacement applications and industrial equipment — combining dedicated rack-cutting equipment, custom pinion manufacturing, CNC machining and gear inspection.
Rack and pinion gears made to your specifications
A rack and pinion pairs a straight gear rack with a mating circular pinion. As the pinion turns, its teeth drive the rack — converting rotation into controlled linear movement.
We manufacture custom racks and pinions to your drawings, tooth geometry, pitch, dimensions, material and tolerances. Send drawings, specifications or your own components and we will choose the right manufacturing process for the rack, the pinion or the complete set.
Rack and pinion manufacturing range
Rack / face capability
6″ × 6½″ face
Rack face capability of 6″ × 6½″.
C.L. capability
Up to 4 P.
Up to 4 pitch in C.L.
Steel capability
Up to 6 P.
Up to 6 pitch in steel.
Product type
Custom rack & pinion
Manufacturing
To your requirements
Rack length, tooth geometry, pinion dimensions, pitch, material, mounting features, tolerances, heat treatment and inspection are reviewed from your drawing during quotation. Borderline requirement? Send us your drawing for a technical review.
How we manufacture rack and pinion gears
Dedicated rack-cutting machinery plus gear shaping, rack milling, CNC machining, secondary operations and inspection — chosen around the geometry, pitch, material, dimensions and quantity.
Dedicated rack-gearing equipment — Fellows #615A, Fellows #714 and Whiton #2 rack milling machines.
Mating pinions made by gear shaping, hobbing and CNC machining to your drawing.
Shafts, bores, keyways, mounting holes and other features machined before or after the teeth are cut.
Deburring, gear finishing, heat treatment through outside sources, metal finishing and inspection.
Dedicated rack-gearing equipment
Racks need dedicated equipment. Ours lets us select the process around the required tooth form, rack dimensions, material and specifications — and our shop has cut everything from small racks to bull pinions.
Rack gearing
Rack milling
Rack gearing
Rack and pinion design
Every degree the pinion turns moves the rack a fixed distance, so tooth spacing and straightness along the full rack length decide how accurately the system positions.
What we confirm from your drawing:
Rack dimensions, length and face width.
Diametral pitch or module and pressure angle for rack and pinion.
Rack straightness after cutting, re-straightened where required.
Pinion teeth, diameter, bore or shaft and mounting features.
CNC machining
Gear cutting and component features coordinated within the same manufacturing project.
Pinion blanks, hubs and shafts turned to size.
Rack faces, flats and milled features to the drawing.
Pinion shafts and bores machined for the required fit.
Keyways cut to your shaft and keyway specification.
Rack mounting holes and tapped features.
Other customer-specified machining and mounting details.
Finishing & secondary operations
Dedicated deburring and finishing equipment, plus outside sources for heat treatment and metal finishing.
Burrs removed from cut teeth and machined features.
Tooth finishing where your application requires it.
Heat treatment through trusted outside sources.
Finishes applied as your drawing requires.
Rack and pinion dimensions verified.
Tooth size and pitch checked along the rack.
Prototype to production
Prototype racks and pinions for new designs.
Worn racks or pinions reproduced for existing equipment.
Rack and mating pinion made to work together.
Short runs through production-volume OEM orders.
Rack and pinion gears for industrial equipment
Rack and pinion systems are used wherever rotation from a pinion must become controlled linear movement — from machine tool positioning to drilling rigs and tunnel-boring equipment.
Motion and positioning in machine tools and CNC machinery.
Accurate linear movement in drilling rigs and tunnel-boring equipment.
Racks and pinions for construction equipment.
Specialized linear motion-control applications.
Industries we serve
Racks and pinions for machine tool positioning systems.
Rack drives for drilling rigs and tunnel-boring equipment.
Heavy-duty rack and pinion sets for construction machinery.
Custom racks and pinions built to OEM drawings.
Rack and pinion components for defense suppliers.
Rack gearing for rail and mass transit applications.
Rack and pinion quality and inspection
Rack and pinion performance depends on correct tooth geometry, pitch, straightness and dimensional accuracy. We follow documented inspection procedures written specifically for gear racks.
Tooth size checked over pins at several points along the rack.
Circular pitch checked using a hob.
Tooth-template gauges confirm the tooth form and pitch.
Circular pitch measured on an optical comparator.
Straightness checked after gear cutting.
Racks re-straightened where required.
Pinion and dimensional checks as part of the quality plan.
Additional tooth elements demonstrated when your drawing or PO requires.
How it works
01
Drawing or CAD file, rack length, pinion details, pitch, material and quantity.
02
We review the rack, the pinion or the complete set and plan cutting, machining and inspection.
03
Teeth are cut on dedicated equipment, checked over pins and for straightness, then shipped.
Custom rack and pinion manufacturer since 1946
Dedicated rack-gearing equipment, custom gear manufacturing, CNC machining, documented inspection and decades of industrial gear experience.
Fellows and Whiton machines specifically for rack gearing and rack milling.
Tooth geometry, dimensions, material and mounting to your specifications.
Turning, milling, shafts, bores, keyways, mounting holes and finishing.
Single prototypes, replacements, short runs and long-run production.
Over-pin checks, circular-pitch verification and straightness inspection.
Custom rack and pinion quotes
Send us your drawing, specifications, quantity and application. We will review the rack, pinion or complete set and plan the right manufacturing and inspection process.
Rack and pinion manufacturing FAQ
A rack and pinion is a straight toothed rack paired with a mating circular pinion. Turning the pinion moves the rack in a straight line, which makes rack and pinion systems useful for positioning and motion in machine tools, drilling equipment and mining applications.
Yes. We manufacture custom rack and pinion components on dedicated rack-gearing equipment, to your drawings and requirements.
Our rack and pinion capability is 6″ × 6½″ face, up to 4 P. in C.L. and up to 6 P. in steel. For unusual or borderline requirements, send your drawing for a technical review.
Our dedicated rack-gearing equipment includes a Fellows #615A, a Fellows #714 and two Whiton #2 rack milling machines.
Yes. Alongside rack gearing we have gear shaping, hobbing and CNC machining to produce custom pinions. We review the complete set from your rack and pinion drawings.
Yes. We support single prototypes, short runs, replacement parts and long-run production orders.
Our rack procedures include measure-over-pin checks at several locations, circular-pitch verification with a hob, tooth-template gauges or an optical comparator, and straightness inspection after gear cutting.
A drawing or CAD file, rack dimensions, pinion details, pitch or module, pressure angle, material, bore or shaft requirements, mounting features, quantity, tolerances, inspection, secondary processes and delivery timeline.
