UK GEAR MANUFACTURING & DRIVE TECHNOLOGY
Standard drive products and bespoke gear manufacturing, supported by in-house engineering, CNC machining, gear cutting and precision inspection.
With a long-established history, Ondrives is a UK manufacturer specialising in precision gears, gearboxes, and mechanical drive components for aerospace, defence, robotics, and advanced industrial applications. Through continuous investment in engineering, manufacturing technology, and inspection capability, we have built a strong reputation for quality, reliability, and technical support. Ondrives operates to AS9100 Rev D and ISO 9001:2015, ensuring full traceability, compliance, and confidence for safety-critical programmes.
Ondrives combines gear cutting and specialist gear manufacturing with CNC machining, engineering support and in-house gear inspection at our Chesterfield facility. We support prototypes, development work, small batches and repeat production of gears, pinions, geared shafts, splines, worms and precision drive components.
Hobbing and shaping of spur and helical gears, internal and external splines, worms and worm wheels, with crowning where required.
Form and profile grinding from solid or as a finishing operation, including lead and profile modifications for demanding transmission applications.
Closed-loop design, grinding and inspection of spiral bevel, hypoid and high-ratio hypoid gear sets using specialist Gleason systems.
Integrated turning, milling, drilling, boring, gear hobbing and gear skiving, supported by automated production equipment.
CNC turning, sliding-head machining, wire EDM, cylindrical grinding and honing for shafts, housings, blanks and complex components.
Gear and transmission design, CAD/CAM, analytical gear inspection, CMM and optical measurement support controlled manufacture and reporting.
Send us your drawing, gear data or application requirement. Our engineering, manufacturing and inspection teams can support design for manufacture, prototypes, development work, small batches and repeat production of precision gears and drive components.
High-accuracy gear grinding to DIN 3961/3967 Quality Grade 4e25 and ISO 1328 Q3–Q4. Capable of grinding spur and helical gears from 0.5 module to 16 module, up to Ø850mm. Profile modifications include tip relief, root relief, tip chamfering, and profile crowning. Lead modifications include crowning, eccentric crowning, and end reliefs for optimised load distribution and reduced noise.
Precision gear cutting to DIN 3961/3967 Quality Grade 7e25 and ISO 1328, covering spur, helical, worm mills, and wormwheels. Features include lead crowning and automated loading, with a module range from 0.4 to 4 module, supporting prototype, development, and production volumes.
Precision cylindrical and thread form grinding achieving <0.003mm runout with tolerances of ±0.0025mm. Surface finishes down to <0.4 Ra, with capacity up to Ø350mm and 1000mm between centres.
Advanced 5-axis CNC machining centres equipped with 30 pallets, 145 tools, and Renishaw probing. Capable of machining complex, high-precision components from solid billets of aluminium and steel, supported by 3D CAD and CAD/CAM software.
Multi-tasking turning and mill-turn machining supporting bar and billet loading up to Ø900mm, enabling efficient manufacture of complex rotational components in a single setup.
Comprehensive inspection and metrology including gear analytical inspection and Mitutoyo CMMs. We provide First Article Inspection Reports (FAIRs), detailed measurement reports, and full material certification to support aerospace, defence, and safety-critical applications.
Free Use Online Gear Tooth Calculator + Spline Calculator – A user-friendly interface that displays the tooth profile in the transverse section and automatically updates with your inputs. This allows you to consider factors such as profile shift, undercutting, and tooth thickness.
By using 3D CAD models in conjunction with our hyperMILL CAD/CAM platform (OPEN MIND), we generate accurate, efficient toolpaths for complex components and production work.
For more advanced designs of spur, helical, worm, and wheel gears, we use industry-leading software to handle complex problems and conform to international standards. This includes gear design and analysis tools such as KISSsoft. We also design spline gear teeth according to DIN 5480.
We produce and optimise Spiral Bevel, Hypoid, and high-ratio hypoid designs in-house, supported by our closed-loop inspection and manufacturing capability. Using Gleason cutting and inspection technology, we can manufacture smooth, accurate, and high load-capacity teeth forms for demanding applications.
Using our SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD platform (Dassault Systèmes), we produce models and production-ready drawings to support manufacture and inspection.
Quality and Precision form the core of our operations.
We hold a comprehensive range of certifications across our business, including AS9100D for the aerospace industry. Our staff, who are the backbone of our operations, are trained to a high standard.
Explore standard catalogue gears, gearboxes and drive components, or contact us for bespoke and made-to-drawing manufacture. Ondrives supplies industrial, automation, aerospace, defence, medical and specialist machinery applications.
Follow recent investment, manufacturing developments, technical projects, new equipment, product updates and exhibition activity from our Chesterfield engineering facility.
At Ondrives, we keep customers informed through regular news updates and technical videos shared on LinkedIn. As a UK-owned and UK-based manufacturer, we design and manufacture precision gears and mechanical drive components in the heart of Derbyshire. Our specialist gear knowledge and engineering experience allow us to support customers from initial concept and design through to manufacture and production. With a factory equipped with over 40 CNC machines, supported by advanced CAD/CAM systems and specialist gear design and analysis software, we deliver reliable solutions for demanding aerospace, defence, robotics, and industrial applications.
For regular company and manufacturing updates, visit the Ondrives LinkedIn page.
Meet the Ondrives team at selected engineering, manufacturing and aerospace exhibitions. If you have a current project, drawing or future requirement, contact us in advance to arrange a meeting.
AEROSPACE AND ADVANCED MANUFACTURING
Ondrives plans to exhibit in Hall 2 at the Farnborough International Airshow in July 2028. We look forward to meeting customers, engineers and procurement teams at this globally recognised aerospace event.
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Quick answers to common questions about gear manufacture, materials, tooth forms, tolerances and choosing between standard and bespoke components.
Common choices include case-hardening steels, through-hardening alloy steels, stainless steels, engineering bronzes and engineering plastics. The right material depends on load, speed, duty cycle, environment, wear requirements and whether heat treatment is needed.
Hardening is usually considered when higher surface durability, wear resistance or load capacity is required. Case hardening, nitriding and through hardening are typical options, with the choice depending on material, tooth size, distortion limits and final accuracy requirements.
A drawing is best, but useful gear data can include module or DP, number of teeth, pressure angle, helix angle, face width, bore and mounting details, material, heat treatment, quality grade and any profile or lead modifications.
Yes. We can review existing drawings and specifications for manufacture, and can support prototypes, development work, small batches and repeat production.
Standard gears are catalogue products with defined sizes and ratios. Bespoke gears are made to a customer drawing, application requirement or specific gear geometry where a standard part is not suitable.
Inspection can include dimensional checks together with gear-specific measurement such as profile, lead, pitch and runout, depending on the drawing and required quality level.
Speak with our engineering and sales team about standard products, precision gears, gearboxes, splines or bespoke made-to-drawing manufacture.
Send us your drawing, specification or application details. We can help identify a suitable standard product or the appropriate design and manufacturing route.
Ondrives Ltd
Foxwood Industrial Park
Chesterfield, Derbyshire
S41 9RN, United Kingdom