Except for higher-end gear applications
found in automotive and aerospace transmissions, for example,
high-performance, sintered-steel
gears match wrought-steel gears in strength and geometrical quality. The enhanced P/M performance is due largely to advances in powder metallurgy over last two decades, such as selective surface densification, new materials and
lubricants for high density and
warm-die pressing. This paper is a
review of the results of a decade of
research and development of high- performance, sintered-steel gear prototypes.
The turbines are still spinning.
They’re spinning on large wind farms
in the Great Plains, offshore in the
Atlantic and even underwater where
strong tidal currents offer new energy
solutions. These turbines spin regularly
while politicians and policy makers—
tied up in discussions on tax incentives, economic recovery and a lot of finger pointing—sit idle. Much like the auto and aerospace industries of years past, renewable energy is coping with its own set of growing pains. Analysts still feel confident that clean energy will play a significant role in the future of manufacturing—it’s just not going to play the role envisioned four to five
years ago.
Indexable carbide insert (ICI) cutting
tools continue to play a pivotal role
in gear manufacturing. By offering higher cutting speeds, reduced cycle times, enhanced coatings, custom configurations and a diverse range of sizes and capabilities, ICI tools have
proven invaluable for finishing and pre-grind applications. They continue to expand their unique capabilities and worth in the cutting tool market.
In today’s manufacturing environment, shorter and more efficient product
development has become the norm. It is therefore important to consider every
detail of the development process, with a particular emphasis on design. For
green machining of gears, the most productive and important process is hobbing. In order to analyze process design for this paper, a manufacturing simulation was developed capable of calculating chip geometries and process forces based on different models. As an important tool for manufacturing technology engineers, an economic feasibility analysis is implemented as well. The aim of this paper is to show how an efficient process design—as well as an efficient process—can be designed.