Gear cutting

Gear cutting Methods

• Gears are manufactured by
• Casting
• Stamping
• Machining (Common method)
• Powder metallurgy
• Different methods of gear production by machining are
• Formed cutter methods • Gear generating methods
• Form disc cutter (milling • Rack tooth cutter (gear cutting
machine) machine)
• Form end mill cutter (milling • Pinion cutter (gear cutting
machine) machine)
• Formed single point cutting • Hob cutter (gear cutting
tool (shaper/planer machine) machine)
• Formed cutter (Gear shaper • Bevel gear generator
and broaching machine) • Template method (Gear
cutting machine)
Formed cutter methods
• For small scale production
• Uses a single point cutting tool or mill cutter with cutting edges
resembling the space between the tooth
• Can be performed in conventional machines with simple set up
• For cutting spur, helical or bevel gears with
involute and cycloidal tooth
• Disadvantages
• Gear tooth accuracy is poor
• Low production rate due to wastage
of time in indexing of workpiece
• Differently shaped cutter is required
for each number of tooth in involute
gears
Spur Gear Terminology
Name of the tooth Spur gear tooth
element proportions (pressure
angle 20 degree)
Pitch Diameter Zm
Addendum m
Dedendum 1.25m
Working depth 2m
Tooth depth 2.25m
Outside diameter/ blank m(z+2)
dia
Tooth thickness 1.5708m
Clearance 0.25m
Radius of fillet 0.4m to 0.45m
* where m is module, Z is number of tooth
1. Spur gear milling by formed disc cutter
Steps followed:
• Determination of important dimensions and
proportions of gear tooth
• Selection of suitable indexing method to space the
gear teeth accurately
• Selection of proper cutter for machining required
number of teeth
• Selection of proper speed of cutter, feed of table
and depth of cut in the machine
• Set the cutter and the work to perform actual
machining operation
Spur gear milling by formed disc cutter
Procedure
• Check whether the tooth profile of formed cutter should correspond to
tooth space (module) of the gear
• Mounting gear blank (work) at the end of a dividing head spindle in a
milling machine
• Mounting formed cutter on horizontal arbor
• Feeding the gear blank past the rotating cutter
• Perform indexing operation after cutting each
tooth space in the blank
• A set of 8 cutters are sufficient for cutting all
involute gears having tooth ranging from 12 to rack
• A set of 24 cutters are sufficient for cutting all
cycloidal gears having tooth ranging from 12 to rack
1. Calculate all machining particulars for milling an involute spur gear of
module 3 and number of teeth 54 with proper indexing mechanism using
formed disc cutter method.
• Determination of gear blank dia. and other particulars
• Blank diameter= m(Z+2)= 3(54+2) = 168 mm
• Tooth depth = 2.25m= 2.25x3= 6.75 mm
• Cutter pitch= 3 m = 3x 3= 9 mm
• Indexing
• Assuming simple indexing
• Index crank movement= 40/N= 40/54= 20/27
• Therefore, index crank will be moved by 20 holes in 27 hole circle
after cutting each teeth

• Selection of cutter
• Using table given above, choose cutter no.3
• Selection of cutting speed, feed, depth of cut
• Depth of cut= tooth depth= 6.75 mm
• Cutting speed and feed are determined based on milling machine conditions
Bevel gear milling by formed disc cutter

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Steps followed
1. Determination of gear tooth proportions
2. Selecting proper indexing mechanism
3. Setting gear blank at cutting angle
4. Calculating offset
5. Selection of proper cutter
6. Determining machining parameters such as speed, feed, depth of
cut
7. Set the cutter and the work to perform actual machining operation
1. Determination of gear
tooth proportions

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2. Selecting proper indexing mechanism
• Simple indexing or direct indexing
3. Setting the gear blank
• Bevel gear cutting is performed only after
swiveling the dividing head spindle to the
cutting angle
Cutting angle = Pitch cone angle + Adendum
angle
4. Calculating offset
• Bevel gears are typically conical in shape, with their teeth cut along a
slanting surface. This develops a variable cross-section of the tooth space
in bevel gear
• To achieve the desired bevel tooth profile, the cutter must be positioned
at a specific distance (offset) relative to the gear blank's rotational axis.
• In the context of bevel gear cutting, the term "offset" refers to the
distance between the gear blank's rotational axis and the cutter's
rotational axis
• This offset is a critical parameter in bevel gear manufacturing as it
determines the proper alignment of the cutting tool with the gear blank
to ensure that the bevel gear tooth are cut with the correct profile and
dimensions.
• To develop a variable cross-section of the tooth space, the blank is set
over from radial position relative to the center line of the cutter,
which is called offset (2).
• Offset is followed by angular movement of the blank (1)
• Involves machining of the first flank
(a) followed by the second flank(b)

R= Cone distance, b= face width, Z= No. of tooth

5. Selection of proper cutter
• A total of 8 cutters are available for bevel gear fabrication
• Range of tooth production for each cutter is similar to that of spur
gear cutters
• The bevel gear cutter can be selected from the formula
Disadvantages of bevel gear cutting by formed disc cutter
• The cross-section of the bevel gear tooth is not uniform
throughout it length. Therefore, a cutter chosen for producing tooth
space on one side of gear will not be correct for other side.
• The tapering cross-section of tooth profiles machined in a milling
machine are theoretically incorrect.
 Advantage and Limitations of Gear Milling using formed disc cutter :

Advantage :
➢ Spur, Helical and bevel gears are cut on commonly available machines.
➢ Low tooling cost
➢ Method is economical for one type of gear production at a time.
➢ Tooth profile that can not be produced by gear generation method can be
produced by formed disc cutter method.
➢ Both roughing and finishing operation can be carried out.

Limitations :
➢ Internal teeth can not be produced.
➢ Pitch accuracy depends on accuracy of the indexing mechanism.
➢ Processes is very slow.
➢ Mass production not applicable.
2. Gear cutting by formed end mill cutter
• Using end mill cutters having cutting edges formed to correspond to
the tooth space in a vertical milling machine
• For cutting spur, helical or herringbone gears of large module, from
20 mm or larger
• Used where ordinary formed disc type cutters are unsuitable
• Operation similar to formed disc type cutter
3. Gear cutting by formed single point tool
• Using single point cutting tool having
cutting edges formed to correspond to
the tooth space
• For cutting spur or bevel gear in a
shaper or planer machine or CNC lathe
• Gear blank is indexed by shaper center
4. Gear cutting by shear speed process
• The quickest method of producing external/internal spur
gear
• Production of all teeth on a gear simultaneously by a ring
of formed blades
• Blades are arranged on the periphery of the gear blank
• Depth of cut can be adjusted by radial movement of the
blades
• Number of blades on the cutter equals number of tooth
spaces
• Gear blank is reciprocated against fixed blades of the
cutter
• Cutting edges of each blade cuts one tooth space in the
cutting stroke
• Blades are retracted during return stroke of the gear blank
• Old and obsolete method
5. Gear cutting by broaching
• Using broaching tool having formed cutting
edges
• For producing small internal/external gears of
accurate shape on soft materials
• Number of cutting edges equal to number of
teeth space on the gear
• High productivity since the whole gear is
produced in single pass
• For cutting large gears, broach tool is made as
sector of a cylinder and an indexing mechanism is
used to rotate the gear blank by one tooth after
each stroke

TPS
Gear generating methods
• Consist of a rotating cutter gear
reciprocates over the entire width of
the gear blank.
• Working principle: During cutting, if
the pitch surface of the cutter gear
rolls without slipping on the pitch
surface of the gear blank, accurate
tooth profiles can be generated.
• Only applicable for involute gears
• The cutter employed may be either
rack type or pinion type or a hob.
1. Gear generating with rack type cutter
• Also called gear shaping process or Sunderland
method
• Cutting action similar to a shaper machine with a
rack cutter
• Cutter reciprocates and remove material only
during cutting stroke
• Blank is indexed slowly and uniformly
• After each cutting stroke, the blank rolls along the
length of the cutter to a distance equal to pitch of
the gear
• By swivelling the cutter to the required helix
angle, the helical gears can be cut
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• Advantages
• Most accurate tooth profiles can be generated
• Gears of any number of teeth having same pitch (or gear blank of different
diameters) can be cut with a cutter of same pitch
• High production rate than any formed cutter method

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Gear generating with pinion type cutter
• Similar to rack type cutting process, but with a pinion
cutter
• Pinion cutter may be reciprocated either in horizontal
or vertical direction
• The cutter and the blank rolls about its axes till all the
tooth are cut
• The cutter is fed radially into the gear blank to a
distance equal to the depth of cut of the tooth
• Advantages
• The gear cutting mechanism is simple than rack cutter
process
• Internal gears can be generated
• Gears of any number of tooth having same pitch can be
cut with a cutter of same pitch
• High production rate than any formed cutter method
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Gear Hobbing
• Gear generation by means of a cutter called hob.
• Hob rotates and cut like a milling cutter
• Hob are steel worms with 1,2 or more right hand/ left
hand threads
• Double thread hob cuts two teeth simultaneously
• Straight/helical flutes are cut across threads
• Rough cuts are taken with multi-thread hobs and
finish cuts are taken with single thread hobs

TPS
• Hobbing is performed in gear hobbing machines
• Machines are provided with horizontal or vertical
spindles for hobs
• Gear blank is first moved radially towards rotating
hob until proper depth is achieved.
• As soon as proper depth is achieved, hob is fed
across the face of the gear
• Can produce spur, helical and worm gears
• Axis of the hob is set to proper helix angle in
cutting helical gears
• Any number of tooth can be hobbed with the given
cutter, but will generate only single pitch.

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Bevel gear generating process
• Accurate bevel gears are manufactured by gear
generating process
• Manufactured by rolling of bevel gear blank on a
crown wheel, which resemble a rack type cutter.
• Crown wheel is a bevel gear having pitch cone
angle 180 degree.
• The tooth on the crown wheel are straight, radial
and are provided on the flat face
• The crown wheel and the gear blank traces a rolling
motion, while only one tooth of the crown wheel
act as the cutting tool at any instant.
• Tooth of spiral and hypoid bevel gears can be
generated by the same process, but the cutter
resembles a face milling cutter
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