Gear Tooth Chamfering With Rolling-Coupled Slice Cutting

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing methods for supplementary tooth forming in gear production, such as roller deburring and cutting, result in secondary burrs on tooth flanks that are difficult to remove, especially after hardening, and do not meet quality requirements for subsequent machining processes.

Innovation Solution

A method involving parallel tooth rotation axes with a first relative movement parallel to the workpiece rotation axis and a second relative movement varying as a function of the first, allowing material removal in slices orthogonal to the workpiece rotation axis, forming a chamfer by slicing through the tooth edge.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If roller deburring is used to form chamfers, then the process is simple and easy to operate, but secondary burrs are created on tooth flanks that are difficult to remove

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveease of chamfering operationVSAvoidsecondary burrs on tooth flanks
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the mechanical pressing action of roller deburring with a cutting action using a fly-knife tool. Instead of plastically deforming the material to create a chamfer (which displaces material and creates secondary burrs), the fly-knife tool cuts away material along a controlled path to form the chamfer directly, eliminating the harmful material displacement effect

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention extracts only the necessary material removal action from the deburring process. By using a flying knife that cuts material in a controlled manner during gear rotation, it removes only the excess material needed for chamfer formation without displacing additional material that would create secondary burrs

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Manufacturing precision

If cutting methods are used to remove primary burrs and form chamfers, then quality requirements are met, but machining time increases and complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetooth edge qualityVSAvoidmachining time
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines the primary burr removal and chamfer formation operations into a single integrated process. The fly-knife tool performs both functions simultaneously during gear rotation, eliminating the need for separate deburring and chamfering steps that would increase machining time and complexity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The chamfering process operates continuously during gear rotation with the fly-knife tool engaged throughout the rotation. This continuous cutting action efficiently removes material and forms chamfers on all tooth edges in one operation, significantly reducing total machining time compared to sequential operations

Inventive Principle:
Principle #20Continuity of useful action

3Ease of manufacture

If secondary burrs are removed in advance before hardening, then subsequent machining is facilitated, but additional machining passes are required

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveease of subsequent hardeningVSAvoidnumber of machining passes
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs the chamfering action preliminarily during the gear production process itself, before hardening. The fly-knife tool creates the final chamfer geometry in the raw state, ensuring that no secondary burrs will interfere with subsequent hardening or machining operations, while requiring only a single pass

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

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 method efficiently creates chamfers with high flexibility and precision, reducing machining time and minimizing secondary burrs, suitable for various gear types and spatial constraints.

Implementation Method 1

with the cutting edges of which cutting edges of the tool toothing engage the tooth flank of the workpiece toothing

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectCutting:

Data Source

PatentEP4114604B1Method for machining a tooth flank region of a workpiece tooth arrangement, use of a chamfering tool, control program having control instructions for carrying out the method, and gear-cutting machine
Publication Date: 2025.07.02 GLEASON PFAUTER MASCHFAB
  • EP4114604B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP4114604B1 patent drawingFigure 3a~3b
  • EP4114604B1 patent drawingFigure 4~5

AI summary

The invention relates to a method for machining a tooth edge formed between a tooth flank and an end face (2b) of the workpiece tooth arrangement (3), by means of a tool tooth arrangement (13), in which method the tooth arrangements (3, 13) rotate about their respective tooth arrangement rotational axes (C, B) in mutual rolling coupling, wherein the two tooth arrangement rotational axes (C, B) are substantially parallel to each other and the machining is carried out over a plurality of workpiece rotations, and wherein a first relative movement (Z) between the workpiece tooth arrangement (3) and the tool tooth arrangement (13), parallel to the workpiece rotational axis, is carried out and the position of the envelope (28) of the tool tooth rolling positions (29i) is shifted relative to the engagement position of said envelope with the tooth flank of the workpiece tooth arrangement in the plane (X-Y) orthogonal to the workpiece rotational axis (C), transversely to the profile of the workpiece tooth arrangement, by means of a second relative movement (V), which in particular is varied according to the movement state of the first relative movement. The invention also relates to a chamfering tool, to a control program having control instructions for carrying out the method, and to a gear-cutting machine.