Gears are produced in a number of different ways, so there’s no single gear manufacturing “process” that can be used to describe the creation of all gears.
Why? Well for starters, there are many types of gears, including traditional “spur” gears, but also helical gears, whose teeth spiral around the center of the gear, herringbones, and bevel gears.
Based on their unique requirements manufacturers must utilize different processes to manufacture the different gear types effectively.
That being said, there are a handful of different manufacturing process types.
Hobbing is a continuous machining process for cutting, gears, splines, and sprockets on a hobbing machine. The teeth or splines are progressively cut into the workpiece by a series of cuts made by a cutting tool called a hob, which features evenly spaced teeth to cut the blank. Hobbing is productive and provides good precision.
Gear shaping is a process used to make gears that hobbing can’t handle, such as cluster gears or internal gears. In it, the shaping tool is much like a gear, but with cutting edges, rotated at the proper velocity ratio as it cuts into the gear blank.
Gear milling is one of the most recognizable methods of making gears, requiring the use of a milling machine. It can be used to create almost any type of gear, making it very practical. In traditional gear form milling, manufacturers use a form cutter to pass through the gear blank, resulting in the tooth gap necessary to form the gear. Because of its low precision, form milling is somewhat outdated.
Recent improvements in CNC modeling and multi-axis machining centers have revitalized gear milling. The new CNC process utilizes standard milling tools and sophisticated CAD and CAM programs to manufacture gears with high-quality levels. Gear milling can be utilized to cut all types of gears including spurs, helical, herringbones, and bevels.
Bevel gear cutting requires specialty equipment, designed specifically to cut that type of bevel gear. Bevel gears are among the most specialized types of gears in the manufacturing world due to their complex shapes.
These processes provide you with an entry-level view into the world of gear manufacturing, not mentioning casting, the formation of gear blanks, broaching, grinding, or other finishing processes.
If you’re interested in getting a quote for your next gear, contact us at Federal Gear and Machine today!
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