Everything You Need to Know About Gear Processing

Gear is a very important part of the mechanical transmission, in mechanical equipment has the role of the top and bottom, equivalent to an intermediate rotating belt, whether in the automotive, aerospace, or industrial fields, gears have no small importance, and the gear processing quality and precision must have a certain guarantee, otherwise it will affect the performance of the entire mechanical transmission.

 

Gear processing through a variety of machining processes, the raw material (usually steel and other metal materials) can be processed into gears with a specific shape and precision. Common gear processing methods include hobbing, gear insertion, milling, grinding and so on.

 

The main methods of manufacturing gears are casting, forging, machining, powder metallurgy and many other methods.

 

This article will give you all the information about gear machining, let's explore its methods, material rotation and equipment processing, this article can also be pointed out if there is any deficiency.

 

Gear machining involves the modification of a material in terms of shape and properties so that it can undertake the task of transmitting power and motion. Simply put, gear machining is the process of turning raw material into a part with teeth so that it can work in conjunction with other gears or parts to achieve a change in speed, direction, or force.

 

It is not just about making a part with teeth, it is a process that combines the principles of mechanics, material properties and machining techniques. Different gears are used for different purposes, for example, tiny gears in clocks require great precision and wear resistance, while gears in heavy machinery require great strength and impact resistance.

 

When machining gears, the type of gear (e.g. straight, helical or spiral) needs to be taken into account, with different manufacturing methods and technical requirements for each type of tooth shape. The level of machining accuracy will directly affect the smoothness and service life of the gear during operation, so gear machining usually requires very strict process control and precision equipment support.

 

From a scientific point of view, gear processing is not only a branch of mechanical manufacturing, but also carries many complex geometric principles and engineering technology. In industrial development, the progress of gear processing technology has promoted the accuracy of many high-end equipment, but also directly affects the efficiency and reliability of power transmission. It can be said that gear processing is one of the basic processes of modern machinery manufacturing.

 

Blank manufacturing: design the shape of the gear, choose the right raw materials, through forging, casting and other ways to create a gear blank.

 

Gear blank processing: to make the gear to achieve the basic shape and size requirements, which process includes turning, milling, drilling and other machining procedures.

 

Tooth shape processing: this step is very critical, the tooth shape of the gear is processed on the tooth blank. It can be selected according to the modulus of the gear, the number of teeth, precision requirements and other factors.

 

Tooth flank machining: If high precision gears are required, tooth flank machining is needed, which can improve the surface quality and precision of gears, common tooth flank machining methods include grinding, honing, etc.

 

Heat treatment: after the gear processing is completed, it is necessary to change the performance of the gear through quenching and tempering to improve the service life of the gear.

 

Accuracy testing: after the completion of gear processing, the need for gear precision testing, including tooth pitch deviation, tooth shape deviation, tooth deviation and so on. Through precision testing, problems in gear processing can be found in time and adjusted and corrected.

 

Gear forming can be realized through a variety of processes, including machining (such as hobbing, gear insertion), casting, forging, powder metallurgy, and additive manufacturing (3D printing).

 

In between, a few words can be said about powder metallurgy and additive manufacturing.

 

 

Powder metallurgy is also a gear manufacturing technology in which metal powder is pressed into shape and densified by sintering (heating but not melting). Commonly used in the manufacture of complex shapes, small sizes, high-precision parts, including gears, it is unique in gear manufacturing, especially in the miniaturization, complexity and environmental protection requirements of the increasing demands of modern industry, has a broad application prospects.

 

 

Additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, is a technique for manufacturing parts by adding material layer by layer. In contrast to traditional “subtractive manufacturing” (e.g., machining), no material is cut or removed, and solids are created by stacking layers on top of each other according to a digital model. This is an efficient and flexible process for gears with mixed shapes, low volume customization and rapid prototyping. It promises to break through the process limitations of conventional machining and may bring another high point for gear making.

 

 

Tools: Hobbing cutters, shaper cutters, milling cutters, the shape and parameters of the tools are selected according to different gear machining methods and accuracy requirements.

 

Equipment: hobbing machine, gear inserting machine, milling machine, grinding machine, etc., the performance and precision of the equipment directly affects the quality and efficiency of gear processing.

 

Precision control of gear processing

 

In the process of gear machining, it is necessary to control the precision of gears by various means, such as the precision of cutting tools, the precision of equipment, and the control of machining process. At the same time, it is also necessary to test and adjust the precision of gears, and timely find and correct the errors in processing.

 

 

Spur gears: the simplest type of gear, with teeth parallel to the shaft. Spur gears are widely used and very simple to manufacture, but they are noisy at high speeds.

 

Helical gears: These gears can carry large loads, are quieter and run well at high speeds, but they can wear more than spur gears and require special bearing supports, which makes them expensive to machine. And it can only be used in specific tasks.

Bevel Gear:Smooth transmission, strong bearing capacity, low noise and other characteristics, suitable for high speed and heavy load occasions. The special shape of bevel gears, the teeth are distributed on the conical surface, which makes it widely used in automobile rear axle differentials, helicopter main gearboxes, machine tool transmission systems and other fields. 

Worm gear: usually consists of worm gear teeth and worm gear shaft. The shape of the worm gear teeth is curved or involute, and its tooth surface meshes with the tooth surface of the worm gear. This special mesh makes the worm wheel can realize the transmission of large transmission ratio, in some need for low speed, large torque output occasions, such as cranes, lifts, etc., the worm wheel shows an irreplaceable advantage.

 

Normal steel, iron, alloy, copper can be used to make raw materials for gears, of course, also includes some non-metallic materials to be used to make raw materials for gears, in the selection of suitable gear processing materials should be considered before a number of factors, gear load, speed, environment, production costs, etc., the need for high-speed rotation will usually choose alloys and other high-strength materials for low-speed, light-loaded may be used copper, iron, plastic and other For low speed, light load may use copper, iron, plastic and other materials to choose.

 

In today's 21st century, gears have a very important development in various fields, not rely on the previous manpower, modern society is a combination of industrialization.

At jeek, we can provide you with a wide range of gear machining services, we have a specialized machining workshop, more than fifty people in the technical team, can provide a variety of shapes of gear parts. Strict quality control is our requirement. If you need to make a specific gear or ship a small quantity, please click Contact us to start our cooperation!