In these past weeks, we largely talked about gear machining processes and machines that play a pivotal role in the production of high-precision gears. Therefore we cannot avoid another fundamental machining process: gear hobbing.
Gear hobbing involves the use of a hob cutter to cut teeth into a gear blank, resulting in accurately shaped and positioned gear teeth. This article delves into the intricacies of this gear manufacturing process, its applications across various industries, the equipment used to carry out this precise manufacturing technique and the different types of machines LAXMI METAL AND MACHINES Italy and India can provide.
What is Gear Hobbing?
Gear hobbing is a gear manufacturing method that utilizes a specially designed tool called a hob to cut teeth into a gear blank. The hob is a cylindrical gear-like cutter with multiple equally spaced cutting edges. During the hobbing process, the hob rotates at high speed while being fed into the gear blank, which is also rotating. As the hob moves across the gear blank, it progressively forms the gear teeth, resulting in the desired tooth profile.
Applications of Gear Hobbing
Gear hobbing finds application in a wide range of industries, including automotive gears, aerospace gears, robotics gears, rotors, gearbox manufacturing and machinery manufacturing. Here are some key areas where this process is extensively used:
- Automotive Industry: hobbing is crucial in the production of automotive transmissions, differential gears, and other drivetrain components. The precise teeth profiles achieved through hobbing ensure smooth and efficient power transmission, enhancing the overall performance and durability of the vehicles. LAXMI Indian branches has many imported only machine tools for the automotive industry;
- Aerospace Industry: gears used in aerospace applications require high precision and reliability, for obvious reasons. Hobbing allows the production of gears with complex tooth profiles, such as helical and spiral bevel gears, which are essential for aerospace systems like aircraft engines and landing gear mechanisms. LAXMI Indian branches has many imported only machine tools for the aerospace industry;
- Robotics and Automation: hobbing plays a vital role in the manufacturing of gears for robots and automation equipment. These gears enable precise motion control, speed reduction, and torque amplification, facilitating smooth and accurate robotic movements. LAXMI Indian branches has many imported only machine tools for the robotics and automation industry;
- Machinery and Industrial Equipment: hobbing process is widely employed in the production of various industrial gears, including those used in machine tools, printing presses, mining equipment, and power generation systems. The versatility of this manufacturing method allows the manufacture of gears with diverse tooth geometries to suit specific industrial requirements.
Equipment Used in Gear Hobbing
Gear hobbing requires specialized machinery designed to perform the intricate cutting process accurately. The primary equipment involved in this manufacturing process includes:
- Gear Hobbing Machine: a gear hobbing machine is the core equipment used to carry out the hobbing process. It consists of a rotating spindle that holds the gear blank, a rotating hob, and mechanisms for controlling the cutting speed, feed rate, and depth of cut. Modern hobbing machines are often computer-controlled (CNC), ensuring precise control over the hobbing process, usually with CNC SIEMENS OR CNC FANUC.
Gears hobbing machines come in different sizes and models, like horizontal hobbing machines, and they can be equipped with a various number of axes. LAXMI METAL AND MACHINES Italy and India have them all in store;
- Hob: the hob is the cutting tool used in hobbing. It is a cylindrical disc with equally spaced cutting edges along its periphery. Hobs are made from high-speed steel (HSS) or carbide materials, which provide excellent wear resistance and durability. They are designed to match the desired gear tooth profile and can be customized for different gear types;
- Workholding Devices: workholding devices are used to secure the gear blank firmly during the hobbing process. These devices ensure proper alignment and minimize vibration, resulting in accurate tooth profiles. Common workholding devices include chucks, collets, and fixtures specifically designed for hobbing;
- Cutting Fluid System: hobbing generates heat and friction during the cutting process, which can adversely affect the tool life and workpiece quality. A cutting fluid system (a kind of swisslube lubrification system) is employed to lubricate and cool the cutting zone, enhancing tool life and preventing workpiece deformation. Various types of cutting fluids, such as oils or emulsions, can be used depending on the machining requirements.
Hobbing machines by LAXMI
In summary, gear hobbing continues to be a vital technique in the manufacturing of gears for numerous industrial applications.
LAXMI METAL AND MACHINES Italy and India select, overhauls and renews hobbing machines of the best brands on the market, such as:
- Pfauter gear hobbing;
- Cima gear hobbing;
- Mikron gear hobbing;
- Comur gear hobbing;
- HERA gear hobbing;
- Liebherr gear hobbing;
- Sykes hobbing;
- Gleason gear hobbing;
- Premier gear hobbing;
- Mitsubishi Heavy Industries gear hobbing;
- Staehely hobbing;
- Tos gear hobbing;
- Donini hobbing;
- Stankoimport hobbing;
- And many more.
Gear hobbing machines that LAXMI METAL AND MACHINES Italy and India can offer are selected and renewed with precision and care, to offer you a range of used machines that are as good as new and can last for many years.
Contact us by calling mr. SATISH KUMAR JOON at +91 9896105058 (India) or mr. Abhinav Joon at +39 3487338048 (Italy), filling the form in our contact page, or through our online chat that you can find at the bottom of every page. LAXMI is a machine tools seller in ITALY and INDIA.
