Here's Why Spline Shafts Are So Useful

Splines vs. Gears 

Since both of them have teeth, gears and splines may look very similar at first glance. When it comes to how they function, they all rotate and mesh with another tooth component to transmit torque. However, these two mechanical components cannot be used interchangeably. What makes them different from each other?

 

Let’s take a look of the very distinct differences between these two essential machine parts:

 

Gears are versatile as they use one tooth a time

Gears can be classified as bevel gears, helical gears, spur gears, worm gears, etc. These types can be categorised further according to the orientation of their axes–intersecting shafts, non-intersecting shafts or parallel shafts. Regardless of their design and size they all function by using one tooth at a time that mesh with one tooth of another gear. As a result, they are highly efficient and they can transmit high torque values. 

On the other hand, they are not applicable when shafts are in any way distant. 

 

Spline shafts have less fatigue as they use all of their groves

Spline shafts utilize all its teeth (sided, straight, involutes or serrations) to mesh with the teeth of its mating piece. Both external splines and internal splines should have the same equal number of ridges or teeth to work and should be spaced equally around the shaft. As the splined shaft rotates, the load is distributed equally along the sides of its teeth. For this reason, its teeth are less stressed when transmitting the same amount of power compared to gears. However, this poses as an advantage since it only allows for limited applications. 

True Gear and Spline offers gears and spline shafts based on your requirements and application. We manufacture spur gears, helical gears, bevel gears, worm gears and splined shafts using the most advanced CNC technology for precision. 

To learn more about our spline shafts, call us on (519)-653-1301.