Cutter head for accommodating multiple cutters, wherein the cutter head has a separate receptacle opening for each of the cutters, and wherein the cutter head includes clamping means for clamping the cutters in the receptacle openings. A cavity is implemented in the cutter head in the region of at least one of the receptacle openings, which is separated by a thin wall or layer from this receptacle opening, and the cavity can be filled with a fluid and a pressure can be applied thereto.

A cutter head (30) having stick blades (82) with a circular (62) or partially circular (72, 92, 102, 112, 122) cross-section wherein the circular part of the cross-section is dominating. The cutter head preferably includes cutter head slots (31) having a five-sided cross-section which will provide a defined positive seating between a clamp block (34) and the surfaces of the slots (35, 36). The stick blades cross-section preferably includes at least one flat section (77, 81, 98, 108, 109 118, 119, 128).

A method directed to gear cutting tools and gear cutter job consolidation resulting in a single cutter capable of cutting a plurality of different members of a part family. The method comprises a multi-step approach comprising a first step of defining a temporary master. A second step creates a virtual master which is especially well-suited for accommodating the requirements of the jobs in the consolidation variety. A third step determines cutting depths and optimized machine settings for all consolidation jobs using the virtual master.

A gear cutting tool wherein each cutting blade group includes two differently positioned but identical cutting blades (41, 40) such as an one outside and one inside blade. The inventive blade arrangement only requires a single type of blade (30) in order to simultaneously cut the convex and the concave tooth flanks of a gear as well as the root fillet and root bottom portions of tooth slots. The cutter system allows radial adjustment of the outside cutting blade and the inside cutting blade independently of one another. Additionally, inside and outside cutting blades may be exchanged with one another.

A method of grinding 3-face ground cutting blades for producing gears by a face hobbing cutting process wherein the correct initial blade spacing angle is achieved while providing the desired values for the effective cutting edge hook angle and the effective side rake angle as well as providing a complete cutting blade front face clean-up.

A method for machining the tooth flanks of a bevel gear workpiece includes carrying out correction machining of a concave tooth flank and a convex tooth flank of at least one tooth gap by, after machining using a first machine setting, cutting free of the concave tooth flank by the bevel gear workpiece executing a workpiece rotation in a first rotational direction having a predefined first absolute value in relation to a gear-cutting tool and/or cutting free the convex flank by the bevel gear workpiece executing a workpiece rotation in another rotational direction having a predefined second absolute value in relation to the gear-cutting tool, and finish machining the concave tooth flank using a second machine setting, which differs from the first machine setting, and finish machining the convex tooth flank using a third machine setting, which differs from the second machine setting.

A method directed to gear cutting tools and gear cutter job consolidation resulting in a single cutter capable of cutting a plurality of different members of a part family. The method comprises a multi-step approach comprising a first step of defining a temporary master. A second step creates a virtual master which is especially well-suited for accommodating the requirements of the jobs in the consolidation variety. A third step determines cutting depths and optimized machine settings for all consolidation jobs using the virtual master.

A cutter head (4, 6) having a lock spring (30) utilized with an adjustment screw (16) for preventing the adjustment screw from loosening during machining. Once positioned by turning the adjustment screw, a cutting blade (8) will not change position in a mounting slot (10) due to a loosening adjustment screw.

A cutter head (30) having stick blades (82) with a circular (62) or partially circular (72, 92, 102, 112, 122) cross-section wherein the circular part of the cross-section is dominating. The cutter head preferably includes cutter head slots (31) having a five-sided cross-section which will provide a defined positive seating between a clamp block (34) and the surfaces of the slots (35, 36). The stick blades cross-section preferably includes at least one flat section (77, 81, 98, 108, 109 118, 119, 128).

A cutter build and truing machine (22) comprising a mechanism (52, 54) to position cutting blades (98) by moving the blades in either direction in a mounting slot (96) of a cutter head (94). The machine further includes a torque spindle (62) and driver (66) to automatically tighten or loosen clamp bolts (102).