Method for producing conical or hypoid wheels using the plunging process

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-8992144-B2
Application number	US-201313855639-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 2, 2013
Priority date	Apr 2, 2012
Publication date	Mar 31, 2015
Grant date	Mar 31, 2015

Abstract

A method of chip-removal machining a tooth gap of a work piece includes executing a first substantially linear plunging movement of the cutting tool along a first plunge vector and machining a region of the work piece near a tooth head of a first tooth flank of the tooth. A substantially transverse movement of the tool along a transverse vector is then executed to machine a region of the work piece near a tooth head of the second tooth flank of the tooth. A second plunging movement of the cutting tool along a vector path is then executed, to an end point of the second plunging movement that lies at a position of the work piece corresponding to the slot depth of the tooth gap to be fabricated. The cutting tool is rotated about an axis of rotation thereof during execution of these steps.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of chip-removal machining of at least one tooth gap of a bevel gear or hypoid gear work piece comprising rotating a cutting tool having a first main cutting edge and a second main cutting edge about an axis of rotation of the cutting tool, and performing the following steps during said rotating step:
(a) moving the cutting tool in a first relative linear plunging direction along a first plunge vector that extends substantially perpendicularly to a foot cone of the work piece, to a position in the work piece that is more than 10% of a slot depth of the tooth gap to be fabricated, thereby machining with the first main cutting edge a region of the work piece near a tooth head of a first tooth flank of the tooth gap;
(b) moving the cutting tool relatively transversely along a transverse vector so as to move the second main cutting edge in a direction of a second tooth flank of the tooth gap, and machine a region of the work piece near a tooth head of the second tooth flank of the tooth gap; and
(c) moving the cutting tool in a second plunging movement along a vector path to a position in the work piece approximately corresponding to the slot depth of the tooth gap to be fabricated.

2. A method as defined in claim 1 , wherein the first plunge vector is defined by a linear feed movement.

3. A method as defined in claim 1 , wherein the transverse vector defines a linear movement that runs parallel to a cutter head radius of the cutting tool.

4. A method as defined in claim 1 , wherein the work piece comprises a ring gear defining an axis of rotation, and the first plunge vector defines an acute angle φ relative to the work piece axis of rotation within the range of −15° to +15°.

5. A method as defined in claim 1 , wherein step (a) includes moving the tool to a position in the work piece that is at least 40% of the slot depth of the tooth gap to be fabricated.

6. A method as defined in claim 1 , wherein the vector path is defined by (i) a single vector obliquely extending in a direction toward a tooth foot of the tooth gap to be fabricated, or (ii) two component vectors, wherein a first of said two component vectors is defined by an obliquely-extending withdrawal movement of the cutting tool from the tooth gap, and a second of said two component vectors is defined by a vector extending linearly in a direction toward the tooth foot of the tooth gap to be fabricated.

7. A method as defined in claim 1 , wherein the cutting tool comprises a plurality of said first main cutting edge configured for machining concave tooth flanks, a plurality of said second main cutting edge configured for machining convex tooth flanks and head cutting edges, and wherein step (a) includes machining with the first main cutting edges, the second main cutting edges, and the head cutting edges.

8. A method as defined in claim 7 , wherein step (b) includes machining with the second main cutting edges.

9. A method as defined in claim 8 , wherein step (b) further comprises machining with the head cutting edges.

10. A method as defined in claim 7 , wherein step (a) includes producing a first line of the final flank profile, and step (b) includes producing a second line of the final flank profile, wherein the first line and the second line of the final flank profile lie on a cone lateral surface of the work piece.

11. A method as defined in claim 1 , further comprising rotating the work piece about an axis of rotation of the work piece while rotating the cutting tool about its axis of rotation, thereby re-machining the work piece.

12. A method as defined in claim 1 defining (i) an indexing process with intermittent indexing rotations or (ii) a continuous process.

Assignees

• Klingelnberg Ag

Inventors

• Dürr Alexander
• Kreh Wilhelm

Classifications

• B23F9/10 Primary

  with a face-mill · CPC title

• B23F9/105

  with continuous indexing, i.e. with continuous work rotation · CPC title

• Y10T409/106042

  having axially directed cutting edge · CPC title

• B23F21/12

  Milling tools · CPC title

• Y10T409/103975

  Process · CPC title