Jan 21, 2015 | News
A brief overview of the latest Gear Technology Tour. Koepfer America sponsored a group of North American gear manufacturers on a technology-focused “Italian Gear Tech Tour.” The trip, which started November 16 and ended November 22, 2014, covered the latest...
Dec 22, 2014 | Processes
Carbide rehobbing. Quieter, more compact gear boxes with improved power transmission remains an important goal for all gear manufacturers. One critical way to achieving these qualities is through the heat treatment and hardening of gears to the range of 50 to 62 Rc....
Nov 3, 2014 | Tech Tips
Gear tooth lead variation caused by wobble. In this issue we will consider the problem shown in the following gear tooth lead inspection chart (Figure 1). This chart is a measurement along both the left and right flanks of four teeth of a gear. This is an...
Oct 9, 2014 | Processes
A look at hobbing machines, hobs, and the hobbing process. In our last issue, we introduced basic information about hobbing machines and the hobbing process. A hob is a worm-like cutter that makes successive generating cuts to produce gear teeth. This is achieved by a...
Jul 8, 2014 | Processes
A look at hobbing machines, hobs, and the hobbing process. Hobbing machines provide gear manufacturers a fast and accurate method for cutting parts. This is because of the generating nature of this particular cutting process. Gear hobbing is not a form cutting...
Jun 3, 2014 | Tool Time
An overview of materials for gear cutting tools. In the late 19th century, carbon, manganese, chromium, and tungsten were included to create steel that could be air-hardened, instead of needing quenching for hardness. This laid the path for today’s high-speed steels,...
Apr 29, 2014 | News
We celebrate Koepfer America’s 25th “Gear School” This year, Koepfer America celebrates its 25th annual “Gear School,” known formally as the Fundamentals of Parallel Axis Gear Manufacturing seminar. Nearly 1,000 people have gained knowledge on the gear manufacturing...
Apr 8, 2014 | News
A new North American supplier for premium heavy duty CNC gear hobbing and shaping machines Gear manufacturers of North America now have an exciting new option for hobbing and shaping equipment. The line of machine tool products from CLC provides customers a wide range...
Mar 10, 2014 | Tool Time
Identification, Measurement, and Correction of this Error. In Issue 2 of “As the Gear Turns,” we investigated the effects of hob rake error on the gear tooth profile. Rake error is only one of several possible factors leading to tooth profile errors. In this issue, we...
Jan 13, 2014 | History
One of the gear industry’s most important innovators. With the close of 2013 and the start of 2014, we would like to reflect on one of history’s key moments of technological innovation that shaped today’s gear industry. In 1958, the American inventor and...
