01
Gear whine at cruise
Tooth contact lands on the wrong part of the flank. The pattern was never checked, so the set runs noisy at 60–80 km/h and the customer hears it before we do.
Hypoid & Bevel Gear Sets
Ring Pinion Gear Manufacturing
We machine ring and pinion gear sets for differentials, axles and gear drives. Hypoid and spiral bevel geometry, cut and lapped as a matched pair, then checked on the test stand before it leaves the floor.
Hypoid & spiral bevelMatched pair lappingRatios 2.26:1 to 6.17:1±0.005 mmFrom one prototype
±0.005 mmAchievable gear tolerance
16Simultaneous 5-axis centers
15 yearsGear and shaft machining
99.99%Qualification rate
Where gear sets fail
Four problems that show up after assembly
Most ring and pinion complaints trace back to one of these.
02
Pattern shifted after a drawing revision
Tooth form and mounting distance change together. A revised housing or a new pinion offset moves the pattern, and the old setup no longer cuts a usable flank.
03
Short life under torque
Root fillet radius and case depth are not controlled. Teeth chip at the toe under load, and the axle comes back long before the mileage target.
04
Rejects at incoming inspection
Runout, backlash or hardness falls outside the print. Every rejected set costs a teardown, a re-shim and a line stoppage you did not plan for.
How we build a set
Cut, lap and check as one pair
A ring gear only works with the pinion it was lapped to. We treat them as a single part number from the first operation.
Cutting geometry
Hypoid and spiral bevel geometry cut on 5-axis centers
Ring and pinion gears turn driveshaft rotation 90 degrees to the axle, and the offset pinion of a hypoid set lets the driveshaft sit below the axle centerline. That offset is what buys ground clearance and lets the gear run quieter than a straight bevel set at the same ratio.
We cut tooth flanks on simultaneous 5-axis machining centers, then verify the contact pattern in a lapping compound check. Mounting distance, pinion offset and spiral angle stay tied to your housing, not to a generic fixture.
- 1Spiral angle and offset held to the housingPinion offset and mounting distance are set from your differential drawing.
- 2Tooth form for the ratioGleason-style or Oerlikon-style flank, matched to the reduction you need.
- 3Contact pattern verifiedPattern rolled in compound and photographed before the set moves on.
Lapping and matching
Lapped in pairs, serialed in pairs
Cutting gets the geometry close. Lapping gets the set quiet. We run ring and pinion together in abrasive compound until the contact patch covers the right share of the flank, then keep them together through heat treatment, finishing and packing.
Each pair carries the same serial number on both parts. If a set is ever replaced under warranty, the replacement is lapped to the same pattern, not pulled from a bin of lookalike gears.
Ratios follow the tooth counts you specify. A 4.10 ratio means the driveshaft turns 4.10 times for each wheel revolution, so the ring carries 41 teeth against a 10-tooth pinion.
- 1Matched pair serialRing and pinion stay together from lapping to shipment.
- 2Backlash set at assemblyWe record the backlash value the lapped pair runs best at.
- 3Ratio by tooth countHunting, non-hunting and partial non-hunting sets cut to your counts.
Selection guide
Which gear type fits which application
Pick the geometry first, then the ratio.
| Gear type | Typical use | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Hypoid | Automotive axles, light truck | Quiet running, driveshaft below axle center |
| Spiral bevel | Industrial gear drives, marine | High torque, no offset, simple housing |
| Straight bevel | Slow-speed drives, hand tools | Lowest cost, louder at speed |
| Hunting ratio | Street, mixed duty | Even tooth wear across the full ring |
| Non-hunting ratio | Race, fixed duty | All tooth combinations in one revolution |
| Partial non-hunting | Off-highway, towing | Fewer combinations, longer pattern life |
What we machine
Gear and driveline parts we cut
One shop for the gear set and the parts that hold it.
01
Ring and pinion sets
Hypoid and spiral bevel pairs from Ø60 mm up, cut and lapped to your ratio and backlash.
02
Spiral bevel gears
No-offset bevel gears for industrial drives, pump units and marine gearboxes.
03
Differential housings
Carrier and cover machining with bore alignment held to the gear mounting distance.
04
Axle shafts and pinion shafts
Splines, bearing journals and threads turned in one setup on mill-turn centers.
05
Gear blanks and hubs
Turned blanks, keyways and bolt circles ready for your cutting operation.
06
Prototype gear sets
One-off pairs for dyno and field testing before you commit to a production run.
Scope and capability
What our floor can hold
| Item | Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Max part size | 4,000 mm | Large travel 4,000 × 400 × 150 mm |
| Tolerance | ±0.005 mm | ±0.0002 in on critical diameters |
| Surface finish | Ra 0.2–0.8 μm | Fine finish on journals and bores |
| Materials | 4140, 4340, 8620, 17-4PH | Case-hardening steels on request |
| Ratios | 2.26:1 to 6.17:1 | Other ratios by tooth count |
| Inspection | 100% before shipment | Reports on request |
Why GreatLight
Six reasons engineers keep us on the drawing
2011
Machining gears since 2011
Fifteen years of gear, shaft and housing work across three wholly-owned plants in Dongguan and Singapore.
127
127 high-precision CNC machines
Including 16 simultaneous 5-axis centers, 12 four-axis mills and 16 mill-turn centers under one roof.
12 h
Quote in 12 hours
Send a drawing and get a price with free DFM feedback inside 12 hours. Production can start within 24 hours.
IATF
Automotive-grade quality system
IATF 16949:2016 and ISO 9001:2015 certified, with in-process monitoring on every gear lot.
0
No minimum order quantity
From a single lapped pair to 10,000+ part runs, on the same equipment and the same inspection plan.
NDA
Drawings stay confidential
Uploads are encrypted, access is limited to the assigned cell, and an NDA is available on request.
7,600 m²Manufacturing space
150Technicians on staff
<2%Historical late-delivery rate
3–5 daysTypical shipping window
Where these sets run
Industries and what they require
Automotive & EV axles
Quiet operation across the cruise range, backlash held to the print, IATF paperwork with each lot.
- IATF 16949
- ±0.005 mm
- 100% inspection
Off-highway and towing
Higher ratios for torque multiplication, tooth roots sized for shock loads, lapped pairs marked and serialed.
- Ratios to 6.17:1
- Matched pairs
- Full traceability
Industrial gear drives
Spiral bevel sets for pump and conveyor units where the housing fixes the mounting distance.
- Spiral bevel
- Ra 0.8–1.6 μm
- Bore alignment
Motorsport and prototype builds
One-off pairs for dyno work, cut to a target ratio so the team can test before tooling is committed.
- From 1 pair
- 3–5 day ship
- DFM in 12 hours
FAQs
Questions we get from gear buyers
What is the difference between a hunting and a non-hunting gear set?
In a hunting set, any one pinion tooth eventually contacts every ring tooth, so wear spreads across the whole ring. It takes several ring revolutions to run through all combinations.
In a non-hunting set, each pinion tooth returns to the same ring teeth every revolution, so all combinations are reached in one turn. Partial non-hunting sits between the two: a pinion tooth meets a few ring teeth, then a different group on the next revolution.
How do I pick an axle gear ratio?
Divide ring tooth count by pinion tooth count. A 41-tooth ring on a 10-tooth pinion gives 4.10:1, meaning the driveshaft turns 4.10 times per wheel revolution.
Lower numerical ratios give higher top speed and better fuel economy with slower acceleration. Higher numerical ratios trade top speed for acceleration and towing capacity. Pick from the duty cycle, not from habit.
Can you cut a ratio that is not on your list?
Yes. We cut to your tooth counts, so the ratio follows from the numbers you specify rather than from a catalog.
Send both counts and the housing mounting distance. If the combination loads the pinion unusually hard, we will say so during DFM review.
Do you supply the ring and pinion as a matched pair?
Always. The two parts are lapped together and carry the same serial number through heat treatment, finishing and packing.
A replacement pair is lapped to the same pattern, so you are not shimming around a mismatched set.
What materials do you machine gear sets from?
Common choices are 4140, 4340 and case-hardening grades such as 8620, plus 17-4PH stainless for corrosion resistance.
Material callout drives the heat treat and finishing route, so tell us the hardness target and the environment the gear sees.
How do you check a gear set before it ships?
We check the contact pattern in lapping compound, measure backlash on the lapped pair, and verify runout and mounting distance against your drawing.
Inspection is 100% before shipment, with raw material checks, in-process monitoring and a final report available on request.
What is the minimum order quantity for a ring and pinion gear?
There is none. We run a single lapped pair for prototype or dyno work, and the same cell handles 10,000+ part runs.
That means your test pair and your production parts come off comparable equipment, so the pattern you approve is the pattern you get.
How fast can I get a quote and parts?
Send a drawing and we return a quotation with free DFM analysis within 12 hours. Production can start within 24 hours of approval.
Typical shipping is 3–5 days for machined parts. Timing depends on heat treatment and lapping queue, which we confirm with the quote.
Send a gear drawing or a tooth count
Tell us the ratio, the housing mounting distance and the material. We will come back with a price and DFM notes on the same drawing.
12-hour quote100% inspectionNo minimum orderNDA on request
