Cracked and broken teeth
Bending fatigue cracks at the tooth root and snapped teeth on spur, helical, and bevel gears. We cut a new gear or replace the failed teeth and magnaflux for hidden cracks.
Houston, TX, industrial gear repair
Industrial Gear Repair, Cutting, and Manufacturing
A single failed gear can take down an entire drive train. When a tooth cracks at the root, a flank pits out, or a worm wheel wears past its contact pattern, the cheapest path is rarely a new gear set from the original maker. At Solution Gear Co. we cut, repair, and remanufacture gears of every type right here in our Houston shop, so you get the part you need without the lead time of an overseas order.
We repair and manufacture industrial gears of every type in house at our Houston shop, including spur, helical, bevel, worm, and herringbone. We cut new gears from your sample or a worn original, regrind and heat treat them, then rebuild the unit stronger than the original, with free shipping both ways and up to a 24 month workmanship warranty.
We have been doing this since 1998 as a family owned shop, and every step happens under our own roof. We reverse engineer worn or broken gears with no drawings, cut new teeth, heat treat and regrind them to the correct profile, then reassemble and test the complete unit. That same capability feeds our gearbox repair and planetary gearbox repair work, because the gears inside those units are made on the same machines.
Every gear type, cut and repaired in house
Different geometries fail in different ways and call for different cutting setups. We work across the full range every week, so the right approach is already understood before your part hits the floor.
- Spur gears carry load on straight teeth across parallel shafts. They are the simplest to cut and the most common to crack at the root under shock loading.
- Helical gears run quieter and carry more load because several teeth share contact, but the angled teeth create axial thrust that punishes bearings when geometry drifts.
- Bevel and spiral bevel gears turn power through intersecting shafts and demand correct mounting distance to hold their contact pattern.
- Worm gears pair a hardened steel worm with a bronze wheel for large reductions in a small package, and they live or die by lubrication.
- Herringbone and double helical gears cancel their own thrust by combining opposing helices, which makes them strong but unforgiving to manufacture.
We also cut bull gears, ring and pinion sets, rack, and helm gears. If it has teeth and it drives something, we can reproduce it.
Reverse engineering when there are no drawings
Most of the gears that reach us arrive with no prints, no part number, and an original that is chipped, worn, or snapped in half. That is routine for us. We measure what is left of the part and rebuild the geometry from first principles.
We confirm the diametral pitch and pressure angle with gear gauges, then take span measurements over a set number of teeth to derive the base pitch, which fixes the module and pressure angle precisely. For helical and herringbone gears we solve the helix angle from the outside diameter, tooth count, and pitch. With those numbers locked in, we can cut a new gear that meshes correctly with the mating parts you already have, even when the original maker no longer sells the set. The same measuring discipline drives our roll repair and custom shaft work.
How gears actually fail, and what we correct
AGMA groups gear failure into recognized modes, and we see all of them. Knowing the mode tells us what to fix so the repair lasts instead of repeating.
- Pitting and spalling are contact fatigue. The combined rolling and sliding at the tooth flank fatigues the surface until material flakes away. Spalling is simply advanced pitting.
- Micropitting leaves a frosted gray matte on hard case hardened flanks when the lubricant film is too thin, and it often seeds the larger pitting that follows.
- Bending fatigue is a crack that grows at the tooth root from cyclic stress, the classic cause of a tooth that finally breaks clean off.
- Scuffing is adhesive wear that scores the surface in an instant when the oil film breaks down under heat and load.
- Wear and plastic deformation show up as worn profiles and rolled over tooth tips from overload or contaminated oil.
We diagnose the failure, magnaflux the gears and shafts for hidden cracks, and address the root cause, not just the broken tooth. Worn shaft journals get reground, failed thrust bearings that let a worm float axially get replaced as part of our bearing work, and seals are remanufactured so the new gears stay clean and lubricated.
Cutting, broaching, heat treat, and regrind
A gear is only as good as its hardness and its finished profile, so the sequence matters. We cut the tooth form first, broaching internal gears with a graduated multi tooth tool for fast, accurate splines and internal sets, and hobbing or milling the external forms.
Then we heat treat. We carburize and flame harden in house to build a hard, wear resistant case over a tough core. Hardening always distorts the tooth slightly, so we finish by regrinding the flanks to correct profile, lead, and surface finish after heat treat. That final grind is what separates a gear that runs quiet and lasts from one that whines and pits early. Because we control every step, we routinely rebuild gears stronger than the original equipment.
Free shipping, free inspection, backed by warranty
We make it easy to get a gear or a full drive fixed no matter where you operate. Shipping is free both ways, inspection and quoting are free, and for Houston area plants we pick up and deliver at no charge, including crating and rigging for heavy units. There is no risk in sending us the part to look at.
Every job carries up to a 24 month workmanship warranty against chipping, flaking, peeling, and wearing. If you need help fast, our 24 hour line at 832 270 2009 is staffed for breakdowns. Call 713 270 6000 to get a damaged gear moving toward repair today.
What we repair and rebuild
What we fix.
Pitting and spalling
Contact fatigue that flakes material off the flank. We regrind or recut the profile and correct the lubrication and alignment cause behind it.
Worn worm wheels
Bronze worm wheels worn past their contact pattern, often from a floating worm shaft. We cut a new bronze wheel and replace the failed thrust bearing.
Scuffing and scoring
Adhesive wear from lubricant film breakdown under heat and load. We restore the surface and address the thermal and load conditions that caused it.
Worn shaft journals and keyways
Shafts worn at bearing journals or with sloppy keyways. We pre grind journals to size and recut keyways for a clean fit.
No drawings or obsolete gears
Gears the original maker no longer supplies. We reverse engineer from the worn sample using gear gauges and span measurement, then cut a new one.
Internal and splined gears
Internal ring gears and splines that are hard to source. We broach them in house with graduated multi tooth tooling for accuracy.
Soft or improperly hardened gears
Gears that wear fast because the case is too thin or wrong. We carburize or flame harden and regrind to restore a hard, accurate tooth.
Common questions
What plants ask us.
Can you make a gear if I do not have any drawings?
Yes. Most gears we cut arrive with no prints. We reverse engineer the geometry from your worn or broken sample using gear gauges for pitch and pressure angle and span measurements to derive the module, then solve the helix angle for helical and herringbone gears. The new gear meshes correctly with your existing mating parts.
What gear types do you cut and repair?
Spur, helical, bevel and spiral bevel, worm, herringbone and double helical, plus bull gears, ring and pinion sets, rack, and helm gears. If it has teeth and drives something, we can reproduce it in house.
Do you heat treat gears in house?
Yes. We carburize and flame harden under our own roof to build a hard wear resistant case over a tough core. We always finish by regrinding the flanks after heat treat to correct the distortion that hardening causes, so the tooth profile stays accurate.
How does free shipping both ways work if I am not in Houston?
We cover freight to our shop and back to you at no cost, so distance is never a reason to keep running a damaged gear. For Houston area plants we also pick up and deliver for free, including crating and rigging for heavy units.
What warranty comes with a gear repair?
Every job carries up to a 24 month workmanship warranty against chipping, flaking, peeling, and wearing. Inspection and quoting are always free, so there is no risk in sending us the part to evaluate first.
Send us the gear, we will quote it free
Free shipping both ways, free inspection, and an up to a 24 month warranty on every rebuild. Tell us about your unit and we reply fast, often the same day.
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