The Selective Laser Melting (SLM) technique was investigated for manufacturing of Space-Curve-Meshing-Wheel (SCMW) samples by using of self-made SLM equipment. Experimental results show that, the driving and the driven wheels have considerable shape accuracy and size accuracy to commit continuous and stable transmission.

The formulas of design parameters for spatial helix gearing mechanism are deduced based on the equation of spatial curve meshing, including teeth number, helix angle and screw pitch of driving tines, diameter of tines, corrected length of tines, height of teeth etc.. That could supply theoretical basis for industrial application of the spatial helix gearing mechanism

In this study, equations of the maximum bending stress (MBS) on the root of driving tine of the space-curve meshing-wheel (SCMW) are deduced. Four factors have an impact on stress concentration of the driving tines, the helix angle, the fillet, the diameter of driving tines and the radius of the spiral curve for driving tine. They have been studied by Finite Element Method (FEM). Results show the former two factors have great impact on stress concentration while the last two could be ignored. Then the method to gain the stress concentration factor is proposed. It makes the theoretical result of the MBS on the root of driving tine match the actual result.

The Space Curve Meshing Skew Gear Mechanism (SCMSGM) is an innovative gear mechanism proposed by the present authors. In this study, the contact ratio for the SCMSGM is deduced. By analyzing the eight influencing parameters on the contact ratio for the SCMSGM, the principal influencing parameters on the contact ratio for the SCMSGM are obtained. This study provides a theoretical basis to calculate and select the contact ratio for the SCMSGM.

Miniature gears have important research value and application prospects in micro-scale machinery. The existing manufacturing methods for miniature gears produce spur gears on the micron scale and spur, helical and bevel gears on the millimetre scale. However, there is no mature process for gears on the micron scale for angular transmissions, such as bevel gears. This article reports for the first time the micro-machining of a miniature bevel gear with an external size of 1–2 mm based on a novel gear structure: the bevel line gear. First, a novel manufacturing method, namely the two-step method of nanosecond pulse laser ablation (NSPLA), is proposed. Then, a sample of a miniature bevel line gear is fabricated from 6061 aluminium alloy with a top angle of 90°, external diameter of 1375 μm, tooth number of 3 and average tooth width of 20 μm. Finally, the accuracy of the sample is studied to confirm the practicability of the proposed method.