A method for producing honing tools (24) that are conjugate to the bevel pinions and ring gears (26) they are intended to hone and which can be produced (e.g. cut) on a standard bevel gear free form machine. The method is described by two transformation steps with the basis of the transformations being the theoretical generating gear. The invention relates also to a toothed bevel honing tool produced by such a method and a method of honing bevel gears when provided with such a tool produced by such a method.

A process for forming a finished spiral bevel gear includes forging a blank to form a forging having near net-shaped spiral bevel teeth, machining the forging, coining the forging to form a coined spiral bevel gear with net-shaped spiral bevel gear teeth; heat treating the coined spiral bevel and finishing the heat treated, coined spiral bevel gear without machining the net-shaped spiral bevel gear teeth in a machining operation that forms chips.

A process for forming a finished spiral bevel gear includes forging a blank to form a forging having near net-shaped spiral bevel teeth, machining the forging, coining the forging to form a coined spiral bevel gear with net-shaped spiral bevel gear teeth; heat treating the coined spiral bevel and finishing the heat treated, coined spiral bevel gear without machining the net-shaped spiral bevel gear teeth in a machining operation that forms chips.

A rack for a steering gear of a motor vehicle may include a toothed portion having a toothing, and a shaft portion. Separate segments comprising at least one in each case bar-shaped toothed segment and one shaft segment are provided, are aligned on a common longitudinal axis, and are connected to one another at a joint. The method may involve providing a raw material piece having a piece length that is a multiple of a segment length, thermally continuously hardening the raw material piece across a multiple of a segment length to produce a hardened semi-finished segment product, cutting to length a hardened segment from the hardened semi-finished segment product, providing a further segment, and joining the hardened segment to a further segment.

A rack for a steering gear of a motor vehicle may include a toothed portion having a toothing, and a shaft portion. Separate segments comprising at least one in each case bar-shaped toothed segment and one shaft segment are provided, are aligned on a common longitudinal axis, and are connected to one another at a joint. The method may involve providing a raw material piece having a piece length that is a multiple of a segment length, thermally continuously hardening the raw material piece across a multiple of a segment length to produce a hardened semi-finished segment product, cutting to length a hardened segment from the hardened semi-finished segment product, providing a further segment, and joining the hardened segment to a further segment.

A process for forming a finished spiral bevel gear includes forging a blank to form a forging having near net-shaped spiral bevel teeth, machining the forging, coining the forging to form a coined spiral bevel gear with net-shaped spiral bevel gear teeth; heat treating the coined spiral bevel and finishing the heat treated, coined spiral bevel gear without machining the net-shaped spiral bevel gear teeth in a machining operation that forms chips.

A process for forming a finished spiral bevel gear includes forging a blank to form a forging having near net-shaped spiral bevel teeth, machining the forging, coining the forging to form a coined spiral bevel gear with net-shaped spiral bevel gear teeth; heat treating the coined spiral bevel and finishing the heat treated, coined spiral bevel gear without machining the net-shaped spiral bevel gear teeth in a machining operation that forms chips.

A method that includes: providing a blank; heating the blank; forging the heated blank to form a forged gear having a plurality of spiral bevel gear teeth; machining the forged gear to a predetermined thickness while locating off of the plurality of gear teeth to form a green machined forged gear; rotationally and axially engaging a die to the gear teeth of the green machined forged gear to induce plastic flow in the gear teeth to form an intermediate gear in which the plurality of gear teeth conform to a predetermined tooth form; heat-treating the intermediate gear to form a hardened intermediate gear; and lapping the plurality of gear teeth of the hardened intermediate gear with a spiral bevel pinion gear; wherein the plurality of gear teeth are not machined in a chip-producing machining operation before the plurality of gear teeth are lapped.

A method that includes: providing a blank; heating the blank; forging the heated blank to form a forged gear having a plurality of spiral bevel gear teeth; machining the forged gear to a predetermined thickness while locating off of the plurality of gear teeth to form a green machined forged gear; rotationally and axially engaging a die to the gear teeth of the green machined forged gear to induce plastic flow in the gear teeth to form an intermediate gear in which the plurality of gear teeth conform to a predetermined tooth form; heat-treating the intermediate gear to form a hardened intermediate gear; and lapping the plurality of gear teeth of the hardened intermediate gear with a spiral bevel pinion gear; wherein the plurality of gear teeth are not machined in a chip-producing machining operation before the plurality of gear teeth are lapped.

A rack for a steering gear of a motor vehicle may include a toothed portion having a toothing, and a shaft portion. Separate segments comprising at least one in each case bar-shaped toothed segment and one shaft segment are provided, are aligned on a common longitudinal axis, and are connected to one another at a joint. The method may involve providing a raw material piece having a piece length that is a multiple of a segment length, thermally continuously hardening the raw material piece across a multiple of a segment length to produce a hardened semi-finished segment product, cutting to length a hardened segment from the hardened semi-finished segment product, providing a further segment, and joining the hardened segment to a further segment.