A hobbing or gear cutting machine uses a rotary tool to rotate a cutting tool around a central axis of the cutting tool. The cutting tool has zero lead cutters, that is, the cutting tool is non-helical. A head holds the rotary tool and moves the cutting tool longitudinally along the central axis of the cutting tool. A workpiece holder holds a workpiece to be machined into a gear proximate the cutting tool. The workpiece holder selectively rotates the workpiece in conjunction with the longitudinal movement of the cutting tool via the head to cut both straight and helical gears from the workpiece.

A shaving processing method and apparatus for a gear are provided which reduce a load at the time of processing a tooth surface, thereby reducing a transmission error of the gear. Embodiments include a method for finishing the tooth surface of the gear in a state where the gear and a shaving cutter are engaged with each other and the shaving cutter is rotated. The gear has a pair of end surfaces facing each other in the tooth width direction. A first shaving step of processing the tooth surface is performed so that a processing region gradually expands from one end surface of the pair of end surfaces toward the other end surface, and a second shaving step of processing the tooth surface is performed so that a processing region gradually expands from the other end surface of the pair of end surfaces toward the one end surface.

The invention relates to a method for machining toothing systems, in which, for a series of workpieces with an identical target geometry, a toothing system is produced or machined on a respective workpiece in a first machining operation and, in a second machining operation, with a machining tool, additional tooth shaping of the toothing system resulting from the first machining - in particular, chamfering of a tooth end edge of this toothing system - is carried out in a relative positioning with respect thereto, wherein a controller of the second machining operation automatically detects, at least in part, a change in a workpiece property, which is in particular independent of the first machining operation, and/or in a setting of the first machining operation - in particular, with respect to a respectively predetermined reference - and carries out the relative positioning as a function of the detected change.

The invention relates to a method for machining the tip circle diameter of a tooth system (4) of a gearwheel (6), in which the gearwheel (6) rotates about a workpiece axis of rotation (Rw), and in which at least one tooth (9) of the tooth system (4) is machined, by removing chips, by means of a tool (7, 7′) that rotates about a tool axis of rotation (Rz) oriented at an axial distance (A′, A″) relative to the workpiece axis of rotation (Rw). According to the invention, the tool (7, 7′) is disk-shaped, the disk-shaped tool (7, 7′) machines the tip surface (8) of the tooth (9), by removing chips, with at least one partial segment (10a) of its circumferential edge configured as a defined blade (10), wherein a relative movement between the tool (7, 7′) and the gearwheel (6), oriented in the axial direction of the tooth system (4), is carried out during the chip-removing machining, as a consequence of which movement the tool (7, 7′) sweeps over the tip surface (8), and the tool axis of rotation (Rz) is oriented at an axis intersection angle (Σ″) of 5° to 40° with respect to the workpiece axis of rotation (Rw). In this way, efficient and highly precise machining of the tip circle diameter is made possible. The invention also states a method for producing a gearwheel, in which the tooth system (4) is produced on a gearwheel blank (5) by means of hob peeling before machining of the tip circle diameter according to the invention, as well as a combination tool, in which a hob-peeling wheel for producing the gearwheel and a disk-shaped tool for machining the tip circle diameter according to the invention are combined with each other.

A method for hard finishing two different toothings on a workpiece, wherein, prior to each machining process, to set the correct tool engagement position for the machining process, a first relative rotational angle position of a first rotational position reference of the first toothing is determined relative to an axial rotational position of the workpiece spindle holding and clamping the workpiece for the first machining, and a second relative rotational angle position of a second rotational position reference of the second toothing is determined relative to an axial rotational position of a workpiece spindle holding and clamping the workpiece for the second machining, wherein the machining operations are carried out on the same workpiece spindle with no intervening clamping change, and with the first and second rotational position references coupled to each other as the basis thereof.

A shaving processing method and apparatus for a gear are provided which reduce a load at the time of processing a tooth surface, thereby reducing a transmission error of the gear. Embodiments include a method for finishing the tooth surface of the gear in a state where the gear and a shaving cutter are engaged with each other and the shaving cutter is rotated. The gear has a pair of end surfaces facing each other in the tooth width direction. A first shaving step of processing the tooth surface is performed so that a processing region gradually expands from one end surface of the pair of end surfaces toward the other end surface, and a second shaving step of processing the tooth surface is performed so that a processing region gradually expands from the other end surface of the pair of end surfaces toward the one end surface.

A gear cutting tool configured to machine a workpiece with a skiving so as to generate a gear tooth includes a ring-shaped tool main body, and a plurality of tool blades which are replaceable and attached to the tool main body, such that the tool blades are arranged in a circumferential direction of the tool main body and a blade tip of each of the tool blades is oriented inward in a radial direction of the tool main body. Since the gear cutting tool for skiving is an internal gear type tool, the accuracy and the tool life of external gear machining when using the internal gear type tool are higher and longer than the accuracy and the tool life of external gear machining when using an external gear type tool. As a result, the frequency of replacement of the tool blades can be lowered and cost can be reduced.

By combining shaping and milling actions, or smilling, the cutting tool can move through the entire usable portion of the spline and machine a tool relief into the face of the adjacent feature such as a shoulder before retracting, reversing direction, and repeating the cycle. The smilling apparatus and manufacturing method eliminates the need for an annular spline relief and the full length of spline engagement can be utilized for strength. The effective width of the spline connection apparatus manufactured by the smilling process conserves space and increases the load carrying capability of the spline connection.

The invention relates to a method for machining the tip circle diameter of a tooth system (4) of a gearwheel (6), in which the gearwheel (6) rotates about a workpiece axis of rotation (Rw), and in which at least one tooth (9) of the tooth system (4) is machined, by removing chips, by means of a tool (7, 7) that rotates about a tool axis of rotation (Rz) oriented at an axial distance (A, A) relative to the workpiece axis of rotation (Rw). According to the invention, the tool (7, 7) is disk-shaped, the disk-shaped tool (7, 7) machines the tip surface (8) of the tooth (9), by removing chips, with at least one partial segment (10a) of its circumferential edge configured as a defined blade (10), wherein a relative movement between the tool (7, 7) and the gearwheel (6), oriented in the axial direction of the tooth system (4), is carried out during the chip-removing machining, as a consequence of which movement the tool (7, 7) sweeps over the tip surface (8), and the tool axis of rotation (Rz) is oriented at an axis intersection angle (?) of 5? to 40? with respect to the workpiece axis of rotation (Rw). In this way, efficient and highly precise machining of the tip circle diameter is made possible. The invention also states a method for producing a gearwheel, in which the tooth system (4) is produced on a gearwheel blank (5) by means of hob peeling before machining of the tip circle diameter according to the invention, as well as a combination tool, in which a hob-peeling wheel for producing the gearwheel and a disk-shaped tool for machining the tip circle diameter according to the invention are combined with each other.

A tool for machining splines on a workpiece comprises a base, a first tooth extending radially from the base and a second tooth extending radially from the base. The second tooth is spaced circumferentially from the first tooth. The first tooth has a first height, the second tooth has a second height and the second height is less than the first height. The first tooth tapers from the base to the tip of the first tooth, the second tooth tapers from the base to the tip of the second tooth and the first tooth is identical to the second tooth to the second height.