and InvoMilling began attracting a broad range of manufac- turers who machine small- to medium-size batches of gears and/or components featuring integral gears. Tese solutions offer machining flexibility at high-productivity levels and low costs using standard tooling. Although the initial Voith- Heller solution was for train transmissions, new uP-Gear tooling solutions are ideal for both soſt and hard milling—so manufacturers can eliminate grinding. Methods such as uP-Gear and InvoMilling have the potential to revolutionize automotive gear manufacturing by expediting delivery, not to mention a new ability to produce small batches for proto- types quickly and simply. Another development in the gear-milling industry is the
The InvoMilling method for gear milling on flexible, multi-task machines.
to rapid developments in the industry—thus the gear-milling revolution began. Te biggest technological advance in gear-milling has been
the shiſt to using indexable-insert tools. Over the past few years, indexable-insert tools have been able to accommodate a far broader range of gears. Tis provides huge savings poten- tial to manufacturers—in most cases, allowing them to reduce cycle times by 50% compared with existing industry solutions. Moreover, manufacturers can attain results with lower costs, while increasing tool life 300–500%. In addition, they can eliminate the expensive and cumbersome logistics associated with regrinding and recoating. With an automotive industry dealing in more complex than ever gearboxes ranging up to eight- or nine-speed varieties, quicker delivery of compli- cated gear components in a cost-effective system is essential. Overall, the transition to indexable-insert technology is very advantageous for gear-milling shop owners.
New Solutions for Flexibility, Productivity Te heavy-truck industry will see the highest savings
due to new machine development. German transmission manufacturer Voith Turbo AG (Heidenheim, Germany)
mass production of gears using hobbing. Te process offers in- creased productivity, the elimination of re-grinding/re-coating and the possibility to use dry machining. In general, machin- ing without coolant has been met with a positive response, as it further reduces costs and improves the operator environ- ment. Also, dry chips mean higher scrap material prices, again driving down the end cost per gear. Some are skeptical whether indexable-insert tools can meet
the tight precision demands required for the high-speed trans- missions of many heavy vehicles; new technology and machine development, however, are moving faster than anticipated. Te transition to using indexable tools is moving at lightning speed and machine performance is constantly improving.
The Tip of the Iceberg Up until recently, the technology to use indexable-insert
tooling for gear hobbing was not available. Now that it is, ma- chine shops are seeing increased productivity and huge cost savings. In some cases, they can reduce machining time by 80%. But that is just the tip of the iceberg. Tere are enormous gains to replacing tools on existing equipment. With the use of indexable insert tools, commercial vehicle gear manufac- turers can now buy a new tool instead of buying a whole new machine if they need more capacity—providing even more cost savings. As gearboxes and transmissions vault into and past the 21st century in complexity and design, machining and tooling
The biggest technological advance in gear milling has been the shift to using indexable-insert tools.
and Heller Machine Tools (Nürtingen, Germany; Troy, MI) worked with Sandvik Coromant to develop the flexible uP-Gear milling solution in 2010. Meanwhile, InvoMilling, developed in conjunction with DMG / Mori Seiki (Hoffman Estates, IL), expanded on flexibility by making a huge range of gear-milling modules available to multitask machines, of- ten with a small range of cutters. Solutions such as uP-Gear
solutions are continually developing to support automotive industry needs. With each advancement, the industry pushes forward and companies are challenged to keep up. It’s safe to predict that productivity, output rates and cost savings will continue to increase in the future as companies find new solu- tions for the next generation of transmissions and automotive gear applications.
Motorized Vehicle Manufacturing 45
Photo courtesy Sandvick Coromant
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