Profab Machine makes stainless steel gears in 304, 316L, and 17-4PH, including spur, helical, bevel, and worm types, cut on CNC equipment to your drawing or sample. Send the module or diametral pitch, tooth count, bore, and keyway. We confirm the gear type and tooling before quoting.
A stainless steel gear is a toothed wheel made from 304, 316L, or 17-4PH that transmits motion and torque between shafts and keeps working where wash water, salt, or chemicals would rust a carbon steel gear.
The gear type sets the shaft layout, the load, and the noise, so we choose the type first and then the module, the tooth count, and the grade. We make spur, miter, helical, bevel, and worm gears, and custom gears, to your drawing or sample.
The gear type decides the shaft arrangement, the load capacity, the noise level, and the efficiency. A gear type that does not suit your shaft layout will not mesh properly, so choose the type first and then the module and the grade.
Stainless steel spur gears have straight teeth cut parallel to the gear axis, the simplest and most common type. They are easy to align and put no axial thrust on the bearings. They suit parallel-shaft drives in food equipment, pumps, conveyor gearboxes, and automation where speed is moderate.
Stainless steel helical gears have teeth cut at a helix angle, usually 15° to 30°, so several teeth are in contact at once. They carry more load and run more quietly at speed than a spur gear of the same size. They create axial thrust that the bearings must take. They suit food mixer drives, tablet press drives, and packaging machine shafts.
Stainless steel bevel gears are conical gears that transmit torque between shafts that meet at an angle, most often 90°. Straight bevel gears suit low-speed right-angle drives such as cross-shaft drives and agitator gearboxes. Spiral bevel gears suit higher speeds where straight-tooth impact would be noisy. Miter gears are the 1:1 version.
Stainless steel worm gear sets pair a worm with a worm wheel through 90° for a high reduction in one stage. The sliding contact makes more heat and needs better lubrication than rolling-contact gears, so efficiency is usually lower. They suit food index drives, chemical valve actuators, and slow agitator gearboxes.
304 stainless steel gears suit indoor machinery, dry or mildly humid areas, and food equipment with routine cleaning. The teeth cannot be hardened by heat treatment, so keep the tooth load light to moderate.
316L stainless steel gears are the standard grade for marine, chemical, and CIP-cleaned equipment, thanks to 2 to 3% molybdenum. The teeth stay softer, so keep the tooth load light to moderate.
17-4PH stainless steel gears are precipitation hardened and reach about 1,310 MPa tensile strength in H900 condition, the stainless choice when the teeth carry real load.
Two austenitic stainless gears running together can gall. Tell us the mating gear and the lubrication, and we will suggest a pairing.
Stainless steel gears are chosen where a carbon steel gear would rust, contaminate the product, or fail a cleaning routine, and where the load is moderate enough for a stainless grade. Each application needs the gear type, the module, and the grade matched to it.
Stainless steel spur and helical gears in mixers, conveyors, and packaging machines survive daily washdown. 316L suits chloride cleaning.
Stainless steel worm and spur gears in agitators, valve actuators, and pumps are chosen for mild acid and alkali exposure. Tell us the chemistry.
316L stainless steel gears on winches, deck machinery, and auxiliary drives keep turning in salt spray.
Stainless steel gears in tablet presses, laboratory automation, and pumps resist repeated chemical cleaning.
Stainless steel worm and helical gears in small reducers and indexers give a compact, corrosion-resistant drive.
Stainless steel gears in tracker drives and outdoor actuators resist rain and salt spray. Tell us the mating gear and the lubricant.
Work through these points before you request a quote, and send what you know.
| Factor | What to Confirm | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Gear type | Spur, helical, bevel, miter, or worm | The type sets the shaft layout. |
| Module or pitch | Module or diametral pitch, and pressure angle | The mating gear must match both. |
| Teeth and size | Number of teeth, face width, and outside diameter | They set the ratio and the strength. |
| Bore and keyway | Bore size, tolerance, keyway, or set screw | The fit decides how the gear sits on the shaft. |
| Material | 304, 316L, or 17-4PH, and any hardness need | The grade sets load and corrosion limits. |
| Mating gear and lube | The mating gear material and the lubricant | Stainless pairs can gall. |
| Load and speed | Torque, speed, and duty cycle | They decide the gear type and grade. |
We CNC machine your stainless steel gears ourselves, so you deal directly with the factory.
Send a CAD file, a sample, or a drawing. Our engineers will review the gear type, the module, the tooth count, and the material before cutting metal. Samples are typically ready in about 20 days.
Pricing is tiered by order quantity, so the price per gear falls as the quantity rises. We are glad to talk through terms for long-term partnerships.
Not seeing your question? Email us at [email protected] and we typically reply same day.
304 and 316L cannot be hardened by heat treatment, so use them for light to moderate loads. 17-4PH is precipitation hardened and reaches about 1,310 MPa tensile strength in H900 condition.
Two austenitic stainless surfaces sliding together tend to pick up and tear, especially without lubrication. Use a different or harder mating material, a suitable lubricant, and a clean mesh, and tell us the mating gear.
304 suits indoor and routine-wash food equipment, 316L suits marine and chemical service, and 17-4PH suits high load. Tell us the load, the speed, and the cleaning chemistry.
Yes, in most cases. Send the gear and its mate if you can, or a drawing, with the module or diametral pitch, tooth count, pressure angle, and bore. We confirm the gear type and tooling before we quote.
Send a drawing or sample, or list the gear type, module or diametral pitch, tooth count, pressure angle, face width, bore, keyway, grade, and quantity.
Send the gear type, module or pitch, tooth count, pressure angle, bore, and grade, plus a drawing or sample.
Our engineers review your gear request or drawing and send you a specific quote within 24 hours.
Standard lead time for gears is 30 days. Custom designs are sampled before the full production run.
We ship gears by sea, air, or express courier. A tracking number follows once the order ships.
We support small-batch and prototype runs with no hard minimum order quantity. A first prototype run is typically around 100 pieces.
If you already have drawings, email [email protected] directly and we will quote from them.
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