A leading automotive manufacturer needed a compound gear for use in an electric motor assembly.

The gear combined 101- and 14-tooth gearing in a single component, with a 3:1 difference in face depth and outside diameters.

The tips of the smaller gear teeth measured only 300–500 µm across, about the width of three to five metal powder particles.

Producing such a part through machining would have been prohibitively expensive, time-consuming, and prone to defects. The tight tolerances required, AGMA level 7 quality, with minimal run-out and high dimensional precision, meant traditional oil quenching could cause warpage and distortion, putting the entire production run at risk.

Atlas Pressed Metals applied its sinter hardening process, quenching the parts in the sintering furnace atmosphere rather than using a conventional oil bath. This method:

• Eliminated the need for secondary heat treatment, cutting production time and costs
• Reduced the risk of distortion by avoiding thermal gradients from oil quenching
• Produced a clean, oil-free surface finish
  
  

Multi-level tooling was engineered to achieve the complex gear geometry, while an automated, hands-free material handling process was implemented to meet volume and tolerancing objectives and prevent part-on-part contact during production.