Automotive gear manufacturers have implemented significant improvements in external planetary gear manufacturing yielding quieter gears. In addition, process stability has increased due to the post-heat treatment finishing processes employed. This article explains various complete solutions for cutting and finishing internal ring gears.
Multitasking machines have a pretty clear sales pitch: They can do what you need them to and make a gear, but if you’re a job shop with fingers in a lot of pies, you can also use them for anything else you might need to make. Hobbing, cutting, milling, now even gear skiving; if it’s a cutting process, a multitasking machine can probably do
it.
Historically, gearbox original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and repair organizations have tended to offer their customers no-load, full speed (spin) tests as a standard performance test. If a load test was specified, the supplier would probably offer a locked torque back-to-back simulated load test, which requires a large investment in tooling to connect shafts of the test and slave gearboxes.
Gear skiving is here to stay, and as a result of this industry shift, it’s become paramount to improve how well machining spindles synchronize with each other.
For this year’s exercise in large gears, we’re not going to dwell on size range or length, merely look at the fundamental challenges and latest technologies required to manufacture large parts in the gear industry. This could be a gearbox assembly for the construction, mining or oil and gas industries or simply a large standalone gear pinion set for a custom application. Whatever the industry or application, large gears require more preparation, planning and precision than other areas of gear manufacturing.
Overall, the gear industry enjoyed a very strong 2018, and the optimism expressed by survey respondents is the highest in recent years. When asked about their optimism regarding their companies’ ability to compete over the next five years, 85.8% of respondents indicated some level of optimism.
The 2018 Gear Technology Buyers Guide was compiled to provide you with a
handy resource containing the contact information for significant suppliers of machinery, tooling, supplies and services used in gear manufacturing.
Cubic Boron Nitride (cBN) abrasive wheels, which are a specially engineered abrasive grain referred to as a superabrasive, typically yield 2,200 - 2,500 parts per dress with one wheel lasting as long
as four to six months.