Abstract: A method for manufacturing a bevel gear member, comprises the steps of providing a bevel gear blank having a gearhead, forming gear teeth on the gearhead of the bevel gear blank by simultaneously cutting gear tooth top land, gear tooth side profile and a bottom land to form an unfinished bevel gear member using a face hobbing process, and machining at least one selected surface of the unfinished bevel gear member using the top lands of said gear teeth as a datum for centering the unfinished bevel gear member, thus forming a finished product. The method is applicable for manufacturing the bevel gear member both with shaft axially extending from the gearhead and without the shaft. The bevel gear members manufactured with this method exhibit reduced runout and require simpler, less expensive tooling.

Abstract: This invention is directed to a method of using a two spindle Hurth-Module multi-spindle (or similar) cutting machine to accomplish face hobbing of hypoid and spiral bevel gear sets. A first cutter mounted on a first spindle would rough cut the gears and a second cutter mounted on a second spindle would finish the gears with both cutters using a face hobbing process. According to this process, multiple cutters are used for a single gear, but on a single machine, thereby reducing cutter wear, increasing cutter life, and raising production output of the multi-spindle machine by utilizing both spindles. In one embodiment, a fine pitch cutter is used to create the initial rough-cut of the gear, and a second coarse pitch cutter is used to create the finish cut of the gear.

Abstract: Induction hardening of heat treated gear teeth which includes the steps of rough and finish cutting the gear teeth, or alternatively cutting the gear teeth to their final configuration utilizing a one cut method, carburizing the gear and in particular, the gear teeth, slow cooling, or alternatively drawing back the gear so the gear teeth are not hard, and induction hardening the gear teeth heating only the surface of the gear teeth. This results in improved strength for the gear teeth as a result of increased residual compressive stresses therein. Induction heating of only the surface of the gear teeth results in an relatively low case depth in the root of the gear teeth.