GEAR MANUFACTURING
Gear Manufacturing
Gear manufacturing refers to the manufacturing of gears. Gears can be made by a variety of methods, including casting, forging, extrusion, powder metallurgy, and stamping. However, as a rule, machining is applied to the final dimensions, shape and surface finish of the gear. The preparatory operation that produces a semi-finished part ready for gear cutting is called a blanking operation; The starting product in the processing of gears is called a gear blank.
Gear manufacturing Processes
FORGING
This is another molding process that can give you both blanks and finished gears depending on your requirements. Forging is viable when you have relatively simple gears.
In theory, forging is a great process for making heavy duty gears for a simple reason. Forging requires heat treatment, which means that the resulting gear will have better fatigue properties. However, the enormous force required for the forging process limits the size and fineness of the process.
EXTRUSION
This is another gear making process that is both versatile and simple. In fact, extrusion has less equipment consumption, but this does not mean that it is the most economical process. Extrusion, as the name suggests, is the process of passing a heated metal profile through a small, predetermined shape. As a result, you will get a bar of the desired shape with a hard and smooth outer surface.
Powder metallurgy
Powder metallurgy is an advanced process that has made significant progress in recent years. Today, it is used in many manufacturing processes, including the production of gears. So how does powder metallurgy work? From a perspective, it’s pretty simple. However, there are many subtleties here.
It all starts with metal powder. The first step is to take all the powder and shape it into the final shape you desire. When you are done, the next step will ensure that the entire setup is reasonably compact as this will result in better mechanical properties. Heat up the entire setup thoroughly and you’re done. Powder metallurgy is extremely efficient, simple and viable for large volumes. You don’t have to worry about any post-processing as the product will be ready to use. However, the resulting gears cannot bear too much load, and there are also size restrictions.
Blanking
Blanking is a process similar to extrusion, but with limited three-dimensional capabilities. This gear making process uses sheet metal to create the desired shape with the help of multiple dies. You can produce different types of gear by the blanking process. However, spur gears will give you the best results.
Today, the blanking process is used by many industries for gear production for lightweight applications. For example, office equipment, hydraulics, small medical equipment and other applications with low load requirements.