title = "Gear Cutting: Hobbing, Shaping, and Grinding"

content = """
Gear cutting produces the precise tooth profiles required for power transmission. At Ridgecrest Metalworks, gear manufacturing encompasses hobbing, gear shaping, and gear grinding for production of spur gears, helical gears, worm gears, and related components.

Gear hobbing is the most productive method for generating external spur and helical gear teeth. A hob is a cylindrical cutting tool with helically arranged cutting teeth that have the profile of a rack (basic gear tooth form). The hob and gear blank rotate in a synchronized ratio while the hob traverses axially across the gear face. The hobbing motion generates the involute tooth profile through the envelope of cuts. Hob RPM, gear blank RPM, axial feed, and radial depth of cut are all coordinated. One hob can cut gears of the same module (tooth size) but any number of teeth—a significant advantage over form cutters. Cutting fluid (sulfurized oil) floods the hob and chip zone.

Gear shaping uses a gear-shaped cutter that reciprocates axially while rotating in synchrony with the gear blank. It is essential for cutting internal gears (ring gears) and for spur gears with adjacent shoulders or flanges that prevent hob traverse. The shaper cutter reciprocates at several hundred strokes per minute; a slight lift of the cutter on the return stroke prevents rubbing.

Form milling cuts one tooth space at a time using an involute form cutter in a dividing head. This is the slowest method and produces lower accuracy (AGMA Quality 5–7 typical); it is used for small quantities, large module gears, or where hobbing equipment is unavailable.

Gear grinding (after heat treatment) is required for high-precision, high-performance gears. Profile grinding and generating grinding methods are used. Profile grinding uses a dressed wheel with the exact tooth space profile. Generating grinding (Reishauer or Niles method) uses a threaded grinding wheel that generates the involute profile through the same enveloping motion as hobbing. Gear grinding achieves AGMA Quality 10–13 and is required for automotive transmission gears, aerospace gearbox components, and precision instruments.

After machining, gears are inspected on gear measurement machines (Zeiss, Gleason, Klingelnberg) that measure profile accuracy, pitch error, tooth spacing error, lead accuracy, and surface finish. Inspection records are maintained per drawing requirements.
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