A new family of cutting tools was recently introduced by the Gleason Corporation for the gashing, shaping and hobbing of gears. This new line is targeted for larger gears, particularly for the wind energy, truck, tractor and power generation markets. 

“Our new line of Opti-Cut cutting tools perfectly complements our machine products by extending our capabilities to provide a complete solution to our customers’ gear processing needs,” says Robert Phillips, senior vice president of Gleason’s Tooling Products Group. 

 The cutting tools were recently exhibited at Gear Expo in Detroit as well as at EMO in Germany. “There was a lot of interest at both shows,” says Dave Melton, communications manager at Gleason. “Our customers were pleased they can get this technology at Gleason.”  

Opti-Cut is being offered through a cooperative venture with Ingersoll Cutting Tools Company, a supplier of metal removal tooling and a developer of indexable carbide cutting tools. The entire line of Opti-Cut tools is designed to operate on the customer’s existing equipment.

According to the company’s press release, replaceable inserts offer more efficient cutting action with higher feeds and speeds, lower cost per workpiece and optimized machine power consumption.  

According to Melton, wind energy has been the biggest driver of this technology, though potentially anyone cutting large gears can benefit from this type of tool. The mining, construction and energy fields also use this type of tooling.