Description:
When the term
sprocket is mentioned, what comes into the mind are hardened metallic wheels with cogs that mesh with chains for power transmission. But now, plastic sprockets are becoming a common sight. These are plastic profiled wheels, which mesh with tracks or indented material for power transmission. The main reason why plastic sprockets have become one of the alternatives to metallic designs is that they are resistant to corrosion. Besides, they are also resistant to chemical attacks, reduce static charge related issues, and slow down belt wear. And that is not all; the plastic sprockets do not need lubrication. When designing plastic sprockets, the most important thing is selecting a material that is hard enough. One of the common materials used to design the plastic sprockets include ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene. This material is preferred in most cases because of its impressive abrasion resistance, low friction coefficient and impact strength. Other materials include Oil-filled nylon, glass-filled nylon, and polypropylene.