Gears are very important components in a machine, and their high precisions are particularly crucial for its operations. The most common method to produce gears is gear rolling, which is a simple and cost-effective solution.
In gear rolling, a gear blank is commonly made of cast or forged steel. This gear blank is then mounted onto a special gear-rolling machine. With this device, two separate rollers are used to shape the gear blank into its desired shape. The distance between the rollers can be adjusted to create different sizes of teeth. The rollers are tightened until they make contact with the gear blank. The rollers can be adjusted to rotate at a different speeds to create the desired shape.
The rollers themselves are typically made of a hardened steel or hardened steel alloy. This allows them to cut and shape even the hardest of metals without damaging them. Some machines can also perform additional operations such as tooth grinding, chamfering, keyway milling, and hobbing.
Gear rolling is one of the fastest ways to produce gears. It is a cost-effective process as well, as it can easily produce a large number of gears in a relatively short amount of time. It offers a certain degree of flexibility, as gears of various sizes, shapes, profiles, materials, and accuracies can be produced with this method. Furthermore, its automated nature reduces the amount of manual labour involved, thus saving time and money.
On the other hand, the accuracy of the gears produced by gear rolling depends heavily on the technique and skill of the operator. This can make the gears produced slightly inconsistent, especially when complex shapes are required. Moreover, when producing high precision gears, the rollers might need to be adjusted with the utmost care, and even then, the accuracy obtained might not meet the required standards.
In conclusion, although gear rolling is a cost-effective and fast method of producing gears, its accuracy often cannot meet the exact requirements of complex shapes and high precisions. Nevertheless, with an experienced and skilled operator, it can produce quality gears, suitable for most purposes.
