Power Skiving Economic Mass Production of Crown Gears

Related Vendors

Balance Drive AG

FAULHABER Drive Systems

Taiwan Machine Tool & Accessory Builders' Association (TMBA)

Wuxi InfiMotion Technology Co., Ltd.

Balance Drive, together with Inspire, has developed a process for the economical mass production of crown gears. It enables higher gear quality, faster production, and lower unit costs.

Crown gearboxes are a great option for many applications: they are characterized by high efficiency, simple bearing design, and cost-effective assembly. Compared to other bevel gearboxes, they require 30 percent less installation space and enable efficiency increases of up to 40 percent. However, economical production of high volumes is not feasible with conventional manufacturing methods such as gear shaping and hobbing. Together with Inspire AG, a Swiss competence center for transferring technology from academia to the mechanical, electrical, and metal industries, and with support from Innosuisse, the Swiss gearbox and gearing expert Balance Drive has now developed simulation software for modern gear skiving. This paves the way for crown gear technology to enter new applications and markets.

New Simulation Software Supports the Manufacturing Process

Power skiving is a productive process. However, it places high demands on the machine tool due to the complex movements: The rotational axes of the tool and the workpiece must move in precise synchronization, and the high machining forces require significant machine rigidity.

Previously, the suitable manufacturing parameters for crown gears were laboriously determined through manual tests and iterative optimizations. At Balance Drive, this task is now handled by the newly developed software tool: the simulation software automatically generates the appropriate tool geometry and calculates the flank deviations that arise from the tool/workpiece kinematics during gear skiving. Using the manufacturing simulation integrated into the software tool, chip thicknesses and cutting forces are calculated, and based on this, suitable parameters such as feed rates and rotational speeds for crown gear production are determined.

Produce Crown Gar Transmissions Cost-Effectively

The process can be carried out on standard turn-mill centers; special machines are not required. Multiple machining steps are performed in a single clamping. This means the components do not need to be re-clamped and aligned on another machine. This reduces machining time, lowers production costs, and results in higher gearing quality, improving aspects such as flatness and concentricity while reducing noise emissions. Hard fine finishing through grinding can be eliminated.

Crown Gears Competitive With Bevel Gears

"Gear skiving has long been established for spur, hollow, and bevel gearing. With our new simulation software, we are now making the advantages of this efficient process—higher gearing quality, reduced production times, and lower unit costs—accessible to crown gear technology, creating real added value for our customers. Gear skiving is the door opener for large-scale production and makes the crown gear competitive with bevel gears. A new era begins," comments Jürg Fürst, Managing Director at Balance Drive AG.

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