METHOD FOR GRINDING OR POLISHING A GEARWHEEL OR A WORKPIECE WITH A GEARWHEEL-LIKE PROFILE IN A GRINDING OR POLISHING MACHINE

Abstract

A method for grinding or polishing a gearwheel in a grinding or polishing machine, wherein the machine has two workpiece spindles for receiving a workpiece and a grinding or polishing spindle with a grinding or polishing tool. The method has the steps of: a) Grinding or polishing a first workpiece on a workpiece spindle; b) In a temporally parallel manner to the grinding or polishing of the first workpiece: Receiving a second workpiece on the further workpiece spindle and measuring the toothing of the workpiece to determine the positions of the tooth gaps, the measurement including scanning the tooth or profile flanks of at least one tooth by a tactile measuring element or by contactless measuring, in order to determine the effective oversize on the tooth flanks; c) Following completion of grinding or polishing the first workpiece: Grinding or polishing the second workpiece on the further workpiece spindle based on the determined positions of the tooth gaps and/or the measured effective oversize on the tooth.

Claims

1-10. (canceled)

11. A method for grinding or polishing a gearwheel or a workpiece with a toothing-like profile in a grinding or polishing machine, wherein the grinding or polishing machine comprises at least two workpiece spindles for receiving a workpiece and at least one grinding or polishing spindle with a grinding or polishing tool, wherein the method comprises the steps of: a) Grinding or polishing of a first workpiece received on a workpiece spindle; b) In a temporally parallel manner to the grinding or polishing of the first workpiece: Receiving a second workpiece on the further workpiece spindle and measuring the toothing or the toothing-like profile of the workpiece in order to determine the position of the tooth gaps or profile gaps, wherein the measurement of the toothing or the toothing-like profile comprises scanning of the tooth or profile flanks of at least one tooth or profile gap by means of a tactile measuring element or a contactless measuring device, in order to determine the effective oversize on the tooth or profile flanks; c) After completion of the grinding or polishing of the first workpiece: Grinding or polishing of the second workpiece received on the further workpiece spindle using the determined position of the tooth gaps or profile gaps and/or the measured effective oversize on the tooth or profile flank as a basis.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein a plurality of tooth or profile gaps are scanned when performing step b).

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein all tooth or profile gaps are scanned when performing step b).

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein the measurement according to step b) is carried out by means of a measuring sensor.

15. The method according to claim 11, wherein the measurement according to step b) is performed by means of a laser.

16. The method according to claim 11, wherein the grinding or polishing according to step c) is carried out by specifying grinding or polishing parameters which take into account the actual oversize on the tooth or profile flanks.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the influenced parameter is the feed speed between grinding or polishing tool and workpiece and/or the number of grinding or polishing strokes and/or the amount of infeed of the grinding or polishing tool to the workpiece.

18. The method according to claim 11, wherein after grinding or polishing according to step c), the ground or polished toothing or the toothing-like profile of the workpiece is measured again.

19. The method according to claim 14, wherein the tactile measuring element or the contactless measuring device is arranged on a linear slide with which it can be moved and positioned in a translatory direction.

20. The method according to claim 11, wherein an inductive sensor is additionally arranged in the grinding or polishing machine, with which the position of the tooth gaps or profile gaps are determined.

Description

[0031] In the drawings an embodiment of the invention is shown.

[0032] FIG. 1 shows a schematic depiction of a grinding machine with two workpiece spindles and one grinding spindle with a grinding tool and

[0033] FIG. 2 shows schematically the measurement of a tooth gap by means of a measuring sensor.

[0034] FIG. 1 shows only very schematically a grinding machine 3 equipped with two workpiece spindles 4 and 5 and a grinding spindle 6. On the two workpiece spindles 4 and 5, in the embodiment, a workpiece 1 or 2 can be held (clamped) in each case. A grinding tool 7 in the form of a grinding worm is arranged on the grinding spindle 6.

[0035] As can be seen from the synopsis with FIG. 2, the workpieces 1, 2 in this case are toothed wheels which have a toothing 8. However, the following considerations apply equally if another workpiece with a toothing-like profile is machined instead of a gear.

[0036] In principle, the actual grinding is performed by means of the grinding worm 7 by grinding the workpiece 1 on one of the two workpiece spindles 4, while preparatory actions for grinding are performed on the other workpiece spindle 5. These include first clamping the workpiece 2 on the workpiece spindle 5 and then aligning or centering it. The pre-machined (for example by hobbing) workpiece 1, 2 with its toothing 8 must be positioned relative to the grinding worm 7 in such a way that the abrasive surfaces of the grinding worm engage in the tooth gaps 9 of the toothing 8 (see FIG. 2).

[0037] The grinding process then removes an oversize from the respective tooth flanks 10 by the grinding tool 7.

[0038] For this purpose, it is provided that during the grinding of one workpiece 1 on one workpiece spindle 4, the workpiece 2 on the other workpiece spindle 5 is subjected temporally parallel to a measuring process by means of a measuring element 11, as shown schematically in FIG. 2.

[0039] At least in one tooth gap 9, the two opposing tooth flanks 10 are measured by probing to determine the effective oversize of the toothing. For this purpose, the probe 11 is placed on a linear slide 12 so that it can be moved to the required measuring position. FIG. 2 shows with arrows how the measuring probe 11 is moved radially relative to the toothing 8, furthermore the workpiece is rotated back and forth in the circumferential direction in order to measure pointwise the contour of the tooth flank 10 to be ground.

[0040] On the basis of the measured oversize of at least one, preferably a plurality and particularly preferably all of the tooth gaps 9, it is thus possible to determine the optimum centering position of the workpiece 2 relatively to the grinding worm 7, so that ideally an equal amount of material is removed from the two opposing tooth flanks 10.

[0041] Such an optimization of the grinding process is only possible to a limited extent if, according to the state of the art, only the position of the tooth spaces is detected by means of an inductive sensor and the workpiece is centered on this basis. In this case, there is namely no information about the actual oversize.

[0042] Measuring by means of a probe in the manner described requires more time than centering by means of an inductive sensor, but in many cases this time is available until the workpiece, which has been ground temporally parallel, is finished.

[0043] Depending on the values recorded for the effective oversize, it is then possible, in a further development of the proposed method, to adjust the production parameters in order to optimize the grinding process. In particular, it is intended to change or adjust the feed speed between the grinding tool 7 and the workpiece 1, 2. Likewise, it can be considered to adjust the number of grinding strokes or the size of the infeed of the grinding tool 7 to the workpiece 1, 2. The volume of stock removed over time can thus be kept within a desired range and, in particular, constant.

[0044] While the workpiece 2 is being ground, the finished workpiece 1 is removed temporally parallel on the other tool spindle and the next workpiece is clamped and measured in the manner described. Thus, workpieces are ground alternately on the two workpiece spindles. The described process of determining the allowance therefore takes place alternately on the two workpiece spindles, in each case parallel to the main machining time.

REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0045] 1 Workpiece (gear wheel) [0046] 2 Workpiece (gear wheel) [0047] 3 Grinding machine/polishing machine [0048] 4 Workpiece spindle [0049] 5 Workpiece spindle [0050] 6 Grinding spindle [0051] 7 Grinding tool (grinding worm) [0052] 8 Toothing/toothing-like profile [0053] 9 Tooth gap/profile gap [0054] 10 Tooth flank/profile flank [0055] Tactile measuring element (measuring sensor)/contactless measuring device (laser) [0056] 12 Linear slide