An Efficient Approach to the Five-Axis Flank Milling of Non-Ferrous Spiral Bevel Gears

Abstract

Five-axis flank milling has been applied in industry as a relatively new method to cut spiral bevel gears (SBGs) for its flexibility, especially for the applications of small batches and repairs. However, it still has critical inferior aspects compared to the traditional manufacturing ways of SBGs: the efficiency is low, and the machining accuracy may not ensure the qualified meshing performances. To improve the efficiency, especially for cutting non-ferrous metals, this work proposes an approach to simultaneously cut the tooth surface and tooth bottom by a filleted cutter with only one pass. Meanwhile, the machining accuracy of the contact area is considered beforehand for the tool path optimization to ensure the meshing performances, which is further confirmed by FEM (finite element method). For the convenience of the FEM, the tooth surface points are calculated with an even distribution, and the calculation process is efficiently implemented with a closed-form solution. Based on the proposed method, the number (or total length) of the tool path is reduced, and the contact area is qualified. Both the simulation and cutting experiment are implemented to validate the proposed method.

Computational Numerical Control (CNC) Machines: A Systematic Review From 2015 To 2022

“…[9] The design of the structure in the 5-axis gantry for CNC machining centers seeks better production by integrating CAD/CAE technologies as an alternative for improvement in the experimentation and simulation of working conditions. [10] CNC machining is a manufacturing process in which tools and machine work by means of a computer program, designed to move parts and tools by means of numerical data. [11] Since overall optimization is largely based on problem formulation, emphasis has been placed on defining optimization criteria as crucial elements to represent performance.…”

“…Used beams can affect the performance of the whole machine. [10] Improved static and dynamic beam performance improving the overall performance of CNC machining centers.…”

“…Articles [7], [8], [14], [15] and [25] show that an improvement in the performance of the machine was achieved; however, as regards article [7] it was evidenced a challenge which would be to improve even more the technology of metric inspection which proposes a sanitary manufacture using semantic rules and machines of friction. On the other hand, the article [10] obtained surface roughness by applying the automatic coolant supply system, but a limitation found was that lubrication also helps to prevent chips from sticking to the tool, so, if this happened, the chips would hinder the subsequent cutting. For Articles [12] and [16] energy savings were achieved, but in [12] some 30% were achieved and productivity improved by more than 50%, but the mechanism implemented is rigid, which hinders the robustness and precision of the immune process and finally in the article [24] a greater lifetime was obtained to the used equipment which reduces the expenses in machineries.…”

A Measurement Solution of Face Gears with 3D Optical Scanning

“…The precision grade is evaluated by the measurement, so the reliable measurement of face gears is the basis of the correction of the machine tool settings in the processing. The measurement method of face gears generally adopts the contact measuring machines [ 12 , 13 , 14 ], such as coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) and gear measuring centers (GMCs). CMMs are universal measuring tools and can measure various workpieces.…”

Advances in High-Performance Non-Ferrous Materials

“…Du et al [ 14 ] investigated the deformation behavior and properties of a 7075 Al alloy under electromagnetic hot forming. Xu et al [ 15 ] proposed an efficient approach to the five-axis flank milling of 7075 Al alloy spiral bevel gears. Zhang et al [ 16 ] performed a correlation analysis of the microstructure and tribological properties of an in situ VC p reinforced iron-based composite.…”