Abstract: Soft milling bevel gear teeth on multiple similar bevel gears using a universal hobbing tool with a set of bar cutters comprising a plurality of pairs of inner and outer cutting edges, having four machining phases: 1) simultaneous milling machining a first bevel gear's convex inner and concave outer flanks with the pairs; 2) milling finishing pre-machining either the concave outer flanks with the outer cutting edges the convex inner flanks with the inner cutting edges without employing respective other cutting edges; 3) using the same tool with the same set of cutter bars to pre-tooth a second similar bevel gear, including simultaneous milling machining the gear's convex inner and concave outer flanks; 4) milling finishing pre-machining on the second gear either the concave outer flanks with the outer cutting edges or the convex inner flanks with the inner cutting edges without employing respective other cutting edges.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a device, a method and a machine tool for machining a workpiece clamped in the machine tool, the device comprising a hobbing tool for removing material of the workpiece for shaping a rollable profile, in particular a gearing, on the workpiece by hob milling, and a hobbing tool receiving means for receiving the hobbing tool, the device particularly comprising a milling head fixing means which is suitable to fix the device in a receiving means of the milling head of the machine tool, the machine tool comprising at least 5 axes.

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: A method for determining front-face indexing errors of like cutting blades mounted in a face hobbing cutter head. The cutter head is rotatable about a cutter axis and the like cutting blades (e.g. inside cutting blades or outside cutting blades) each having a cutting edge and are arranged in a plurality of blade groups in the cutter head. The method comprises determining the angular position of the front face of one or more of the like cutting blades about to the cutter axis by rotating the cutting edge of one or more of the like cutting blades relative to an angular detecting means, such as a non-contacting probe. The measured front face angular positions are compared with respective theoretical front face angular positions and an angular difference, .DELTA..phi..sub.c, is calculated. A cutting blade front face index error, F.sub.d, is then calculated and this error amount may be compared to acceptable limits and the blade may be replaced of the cutter scrapped if such limits are exceeded.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a process for feeding a tool relative to a workpiece in a machining process such as a process for forming bevel and hypoid gears. The method comprises feeding the tool from an initial contact position with the workpiece to a full depth position in the workpiece along a feedpath at least a portion of which is defined by a feed vector having at least two feed vector components lying in an axial plane. The first feed vector component being substantially in the direction of the axis of a theoretical generating gear and the second feed vector component being substantially in a direction perpendicular to the generating gear axis. The feed vector may include a third feed vector component lying in a normal plane. With this feedpath undesirable tool shifting and workpiece spiral angle changes are significantly reduced.

Abstract: A rotary tool for generating bevel gears, characterized in that a module m at a plane of rotation which is away from a reference point on a central axis by a distance .xi. in the axial direction is shown by an equation;m=m.sub.0 (1+.kappa..xi.)where, m.sub.0 denotes a module at the reference point and .kappa. is a constant.

Abstract: A method is disclosed wherein standard generating motions for the production of bevel and hypoid gears are modified by the substantially simultaneous inclusion of additional controlled motions which enable a desired tooth surface geometry to be produced on the gears. The additional motions comprise varying the position of intersection of the theoretical generating gear axis and the pitch plane and/or varying the orientation of the tooth surfaces of the theoretical generating gear with respect to the body of the theoretical generating gear. A CNC machine is preferably utilized for carrying out the inventive process. The inventive process is applicable to generating processes of both the face milling and face hobbing type.

Abstract: A method of forming a relief at the toe end of the teeth on a bevel gear is disclosed. The width of the blades that cut the longitudinally extending convex or concave profiles of the flanks of the teeth is increased to a dimension greater than the width of the tooth slot at the toe end whereby additional stock is removed from the toe end of the flank opposite the flank being cut by the blades. The relief is formed at the toe end of each tooth with the relief being on the same flank profile for all teeth. Lapping interference is eliminated. A separate chamfering operation is not required.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed in which only one working point or machining point on a machining tool, which machining contact with a workpiece such as a gear blank during a machining operation. The position of this single working or machining point can be selectively chosen within a machining region of the grinding wheel or disk and can be prescribed to lie in a zone of fixed or variable radius of the grinding wheel or disk. This is achieved through at least one feed motion, in general a feed motion of the grinding wheel or disc, effected in addition to feed motions known per se in machining processes performed essentially according to the indexing generating method. This means that the machining contact point between the grinding wheel or disk and the gear blank does not wander on the grinding wheel or disk in correspondence with the generating feed motions but can be confined to a predeterminate region.

Abstract: A rotary cutting tool for forming fluted rotors and the like comprising a cylindrical body having a plurality of metallic carbide cutting blades which are detachably mounted on the circumference of the body. The blades are arranged along a helical line with respect to the axis of rotation of the cutter body. The blades may be circumferentially spaced apart equidistant, one blade from each adjacent blade, to form only one turn of the helix and whereby each blade may be easily ground to a precise cutting edge contour while mounted on the cutter body. The cutting edge contour of each blade may be such that each blade cuts portions along the entire profile of the form produced on the workpiece.