»hobCheck« Gear Hob Measuring Machine

The Zoller »hobCheck« brings an expanded range of possibilities and solutions to the table with the ability to measure gear hobs according to standards with high accuracy and easy programming, using intuitive data entry and parameter selection.

Conventional gear hob measuring machines only measure hobs, and they are doing so in a very rigid way using an old-school, tactile approach which is literally "blind." The Zoller »hobCheck« opens the eyes to a new level of tool inspection with the ability to measure small hobs that were previously not measureable. For hobs under a certain size, the conventional touch probe alone cannot measure all required parameters, e.g. line of action. The touch probe simply can't reach all required locations on the teeth of the hob. However, this can easily be achieved with an optical approach, and furthermore it's important to note that the camera system tilts in accordance with the lead angle.

Specific characteristics can be re-measured based on the interactive report. Simply select the reported dimension, then the machine positions the tooth in question into field view and allows the user to clean the tooth and proceed with the re-measurement.

»hobCheck« now opens the door to measuring a huge variety of other cutting tools. Examples are form milling cutters (gear milling cutters, rack milling cutters, any free form), (indexable) worm milling cutters, including the ability to generate the actual form cut into the part, shaper cutters, coupons, endmills, drills, reamers, turning tools, inserts, PCD mono block tools, indexable tools and (form) grinding wheels.

Unlike a tactile approach, with Zoller's vision system you can determine and document edge wear to minimize removal during regrind.

With the »metis« software module, simple measurements in the camera view can be undertaken at any time and can be processed in a manner of a 2D computer-aided design (CAD). This can be the examination of a chipped edge or a quick angle or radius measurement. Full documentation in form of PDF, WinWord or Excel reports is available for further data processing.

While conventional hob measuring machines simply hold the tools between centers, this is just one option on the »hobCheck«. All tool holding solutions on the market are also possible (for example, HSK, Capto, CAT, KM and straight shank automatic hydraulic chucks).

As an accessory to the »hobCheck«, the »pomSkpGo« can measure the edge hone. Both machines share a database so that a complete report on macro and micro geometry on the edge preparation is possible. The ISO9000 certified »hobCheck« enables a high-level of reverse engineering of any cutting tool, so it's an excellent instrument for research.