Helical Gears

Helical gears are cylindrical gears featuring teeth cut at an angle (helix angle) to the axis, enabling gradual and continuous tooth engagement for significantly smoother, quieter operation, and higher load-carrying capacity compared to straight-toothed spur gears, making them ideal for high-speed applications like automotive transmissions and industrial gearboxes. A key design specification is the helix hand (left or right), as meshing gears must have the opposite hand for parallel shafts, but this design inherently generates an axial thrust force that requires management with thrust bearings or a herringbone (double-helical) configuration.