Hobbing is a mechanical method of gear cutting, splines cutting, and sprocket cutting on a hobbing unit that is a specific form of milling machine. The gear’s teeth or splines are slowly carved through the substance (a smooth, cylindrical piece of metal) through a set of cuts created by a cutting device called a hob. This is fairly cheap but also very reliable compared to other gear formation methods, and it is used with a broad variety of parts and quantities. Being one of the most productive procedures, one must buy the gear hobbing machines from the best gear hob cutters manufacturers to avoid any mistake.
Types of Gear Hobbing Machines:
- Vertical Gear Hobbing Machine:
This is the most commonly used machine to manufacture the gears of different shapes and sizes. In this machine, the job axis is opposite to the bed of the unit and is the most flexible machine. With its unique features, it not only helps to produce the gears in large quantity but ensures quality as well.
- Horizontal Gear Hobbing Machine:
This machine is more commonly deployed for cutting longer work pieces and ensures that the work in allotted in completed within the time frame. In this machine, the job axis is parallel to the bed of the computer. This ensures the right working of the machine.
Process of Gear Hobbing
Gear hobbing is not a method of shape cutting, such as gashing or milling where the cutter is a conjugate gear tooth type. By cutting multiple aspects of each gear tooth profile into a coordinated rotating and feeding of the work piece and cutter, the hob produces a gear tooth profile. With the machine beginning the process of gear cutting, the hob attached the machine graze over the gear at a set speed and eventually the gear teeth will start to emerge at slightly distinct positions. Generally, the number of gashes of the hob correlates with the tooth of the gear and more gashes in the hob ultimately leads to better production of a gear. The hobs can operate concurrently for multiple cutting points, which have considerable opportunities for high cutting speeds and/or quick cycle times. With this recognition, we can see the benefit of the hobbing cycle over other cutting methods.
In order to manufacture a gear, the hob grazes upon the gear axially to make depth cuts, which would lead to the formation of gear tooth and produce a good quality gear while the hob and the gear keep on rotating. In another technique, known as climb feeding, the graze takes place in the opposite motion to that of the cutting. It is generally said that the conventional way of production of gear is far better but climb hobbing leads to better tool life. But one this remains common, i.e., the cutting forces must not be aimed in the direction of tailstock but must be in the direction of work spindle.
Therefore, for manufacturing a gear, one must buy the equipment from the best gear hob cutter manufacturers so that a fine quality product is produced towards the end of the process, which would lead to customer satisfaction.