Drum-Shaped Gear Forming With Two-Stage Wall Thickness Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for producing drum-shaped gear parts, such as clutch plate carriers, face limitations in weight reduction and material strength requirements due to increased torque demands, necessitating additional forming steps and post-processing, which can lead to material overstraining and cracking.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a preforming step where a rotationally symmetrical workpiece is reduced in wall thickness through axial flow-forming, followed by a finish-forming step where the workpiece is clamped onto an inner mandrel with external toothing and a toothed roller is fed radially to form a splined toothing, maintaining the target wall thickness and preventing material overstraining.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If axial rolling on a press is used for producing drum-shaped gear parts, then productivity is improved for large numbers of pieces, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to material overstraining and cracking
Solution Approach 1:
The forming process is divided into two distinct stages: preforming (axial rolling to reduce wall thickness) and finish-forming (profile forming with toothed rollers). This segmentation allows each stage to be optimized independently, preventing material overstraining while maintaining high productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The preforming step performs wall thickness reduction and preliminary shaping before the final profile forming. By preparing the workpiece in advance with appropriate wall thickness distribution, the subsequent finish-forming can be performed with better dimensional control and reduced risk of material damage.
2Manufacturing precision
If incremental forming methods are used for smaller numbers of pieces, then manufacturing precision is maintained, but productivity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the advantages of incremental forming (precision through controlled deformation) with the efficiency of continuous processing. The two-stage process combines preforming and finish-forming in a unified workflow that maintains precision while improving overall production efficiency through optimized material flow and reduced repositioning.
3Manufacturing precision
If additional forming steps or post-processing steps are introduced to meet increasing requirements, then manufacturing precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention combines multiple functions into the two-stage forming process: wall thickness control, shape forming, and toothing formation are all integrated into preforming and finish-forming operations. This reduces the need for separate post-processing steps while maintaining high manufacturing precision.
4Weight of moving object
If wall thickness is reduced through flow-forming for weight optimization, then weight of moving object is reduced, but strength deteriorates due to material overstraining
Solution Approach 1:
The preforming step creates local variations in wall thickness distribution optimized for the specific application. By controlling wall thickness locally rather than uniformly, the component achieves weight optimization in non-critical areas while maintaining sufficient strength in load-bearing regions, preventing material overstraining.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enables the efficient production of flexible, requirement-oriented gear parts with enhanced quality and precision, reducing material waste and preventing cracks, while maintaining the target wall thickness and optimizing weight distribution.
Implementation Method 1
at least through axial feed and pass of at least one forming roller, a stretch-flow forming is carried out, wherein a cylindrical circumferential wall with a defined target wall thickness is shaped which is smaller than a basic wall thickness of the workpiece
Implementation Method 2
at least one profiled toothed roller is fed radially, by which the cylindrical circumferential wall, whilst substantially maintaining the target wall thickness, is formed into the external toothing of the inner mandrel, wherein a drum-shaped toothed region with a splined toothing is shaped
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a method and a forming system for producing a gear part through a rotational forming. According to the invention provision is made in that in a preforming step a rotationally symmetrical workpiece is set into rotation about its center axis and, at least through axial feeding and passing of at least one forming roller, a stretch-flow forming is carried out, wherein a cylindrical circumferential wall with a defined target wall thickness is shaped which is smaller than a basic wall thickness of the workpiece. Subsequently, in a finish-forming step the preformed workpiece is clamped onto an inner mandrel with external toothing and set into rotation and at least one profiled toothed roller is fed radially, by which the cylindrical circumferential wall, whilst substantially maintaining the target wall thickness, is formed into the external toothing of the inner mandrel, wherein a drum-shaped toothed region with a splined toothing is shaped.