Gears are important mechanical components used in gearboxes and power transmission systems to transmit torque. Most gears are manufactured by turning, face milling, or newer technologies such as face milling. High-speed steel, and in particular time, has been the go-to material for high-quality cutting tools used in gear manufacturing for decades. Due to the unique properties and cleanliness of gear cutting tools, coupled with advances in PVD coating, tool manufacturers are able to produce longer-lasting and more efficient tools.
Gear Cutting Tool Applications:
One of the largest gear-cutting tool applications is turning, a tool with a high number of teeth that can be used to produce a wide range of gear types. The relative speed and angle between the machined part and the work piece determine the number of teeth and kind of gear produced, making face milling relatively cheap and efficient. It can provide the wear resistance and rigidity needed to achieve good productivity while still allowing for easy regrinding, saving time and cost. Other gear-cutting applications include:
- Machining
- Contour cutters
- Shaving cutters
- Bevel Gear Cutters
Select Gear Cutting Tool Material:
Most gear-cutting applications require materials with opposing properties, which can make material selection difficult and essential for success. Wear resistance is needed to increase efficiency and the number of parts produced during regrinding. High grinding capacity is very important to achieve a good surface finish and reasonable tool production cost. Since the friction between the formed metal chips and the tool generates a lot of heat, heat hardness is important. On the other hand, toughness is required to avoid premature edge cracking and breakage. In order to achieve a good balance between these properties, we recommend the following grades for these applications.
Differences between Gear Cutting And Milling:
Some gear-cutting methods are forms of milling, so they share some common ground. However, some differences are listed below:
- Milling usually produces one cut at a time, while gear cutting can make multiple cuts at a time.
- Tolling is usually more expensive than gear cutting.
- Milling has a much wider range of applications. Since it can cut holes, slots, grooves, slits, angles, and surface cuts, while gear cutting is specifically concerned with the creation of gear teeth, milling often requires finishing, while gear cutting rarely does.
- Milling is the most common machining operation, as it is versatile and necessary to create a wide variety of parts for different applications. At the same time, gear cutting is limited to the production of gears.
Gear Cutting Applications:
The use of all types of gear cutting is to make gears. Each type of gear cutting has different applications. For example, gear grinding is used for high-precision gear cutter tool, while gear forming is used for medium-duty production for high consistency. Meanwhile, gear finishing is used to increase the accuracy of other gear-cutting methods. Gear turning is used for the fastest production, gear turning is used for the best speed and accuracy, and gear milling is used for small-volume customized gears.