Gleason — the “Total Gear Solutions Provider” — plans to demonstrate the basis of that claim with a series of machines, tooling, and customer support services for production and inspection of all types of bevel and cylindrical gears. Among the technologies exhibited at IMTS 2014 will be:
Threaded Wheel Grinding Machine — On display for the first time, the 200GX is an addition to the popular Genesis® series, in a two-spindle concept that combines maximum productivity with minimized idle and set-up times. Fast, software-guided set-up of the machine allows operators to guide the machine from one workpiece to another in just 20 minutes using only one tool.
"First Part Cycle" — fully automatic workflow after set-up until grinding the first workpieces, and the ability to interface with Gleason GMS® machines via QR codes — increases productivity. Easy-to-access machine components simplify maintenance, while standard dimension grinding wheels and dressing tools allow shops to use existing tools. The energy-efficient machine also offers a small footprint, responding to the needs of customers in high-productivity high-quality environments.
Power Skiving Machine — The Gleason 300PS reportedly brings significant productivity and quality gains for cylindrical external and internal gears up to 300 mm in diameter. It combines machine, cutting tool, workholding, and power skiving process expertise to improve production performance significantly, particularly in operations where shaping, forming, pressing and broaching are typically used. As compared to shaping, for example, the 300PS can deliver productivity rates as much as eight times higher. The modular tool-less workholding is designed for fast installation and changeover to handle the highest process forces, with superior internal chip evacuation.
Comprehensive Power Skiving Technology Software enables users to simulate the entire cutting process and plan the most effective process strategy. Users can analyze the influence of different cutting tool geometries and process parameters. The Technology Software allows operators to decide if a given part can be safely and economically power skived, or whether it would be better shaped, making Power Skiving as simple and familiar as shaping.
Bevel Gear Grinding Machine — The Phoenix®II 280G is a new design that the developer noted is “simpler, more reliable and easier to operate and maintain for bevel gear grinding up to 280 mm in diameter.” Also, it reportedly has “the cleanest work chamber in the industry,” with no rails, wires, or pipes in the work chamber to collect swarf.
In addition, the machine is available for rapid set-up and all major set-up items can be completed without tools, meaning a “tool-less” grinding wheel, coolant header, and workholding. The coolant header has small blocks that can easily be exchanged by hand, while the grinding wheel can be released hydraulically.
The 280G’s automatic stock divider, mounted close to the work spindle, helps to ensure consistently high gear quality. The unit automatically determines the tooth slot position of the pre-finished gear to provide accurate and reliable stock division, helping eliminate operator errors.
New Inspection, Cutting Tool, Workholding Options
Beyond machine designs, Gleason’s “Total Gear Solutions” claim is bourn out by auxiliary products and support technologies, also getting emphasis at IMTS 2014.
Analytical Gear Inspection Machine — The Gleason 300GMS® is designed for faster inspection of automotive transmission gears, and other smaller gears, gear cutting tools, and non-gear parts. This addition to the GMS Series (inspection machines for gears up to 3,000 mm in diameter) was developed specifically to meet the needs of automotive transmission gear producers for a faster, more economical solution for complete gear and even non-gear parts inspection. It is the first GMS to feature the new Windows 7-based Gleason GAMA™ 3.0 applications software suite, which offers an intuitive interface and simple input screens for programming of workpiece and cutting tool data.
The 300GMS is equipped with new ergonomically mounted operator workstations and a Gleason Diagnostic Module – both designed to greatly improve the operator’s effectiveness at every stage of the inspection process. The Gleason Diagnostic Module puts a number of tools at the operator’s fingertips, including an environmental monitoring station to record temperature and humidity, and video telephony, note pad and voice mail messaging capability, enabling the user to capture video, describe a particular programming issue and transmit it over the web to others in the customer’s organization or to Gleason for support.
In addition, the 300GMS offers users the ability to meet a variety of inspection tasks beyond just gear geometry on a single platform, including surface finish and form measurement and even prismatic (CMM) measurement.
Complete Gear Cutting Tool Line — Gleason supplies virtually every type of cutting tool for production of cylindrical and bevel gears, of all types and sizes. For cylindrical gear production, IMTS visitors will find an array of hobs, form-relieved milling cutters, solid-carbide hobs, shaper cutters, chamfering and deburring tools, shaving cutters, honing tools, coated diamond and CBN grinding wheels, diamond dressing wheels, and diamond dressing rolls. Recent advances in gear hobbing technology will be demonstrated, including G90, a tooling material the closes the performance gap between HSS materials and tungsten carbide.
Bevel cutting tools on display will show advances for cutting and grinding straight, spiral, and hypoid bevel gears. Of particular note is the Pentac®Plus-RT, which can be built faster and more precisely than stick blade cutter systems of the past. With blade seating stiffness equal to the high stiffness of our Pentac®Plus, this new system offers superior surface finish, tool life and cycle time.
Workholding Advances — Gleason designs and produces a complete series of quick-change, tool-less workholding equipment for bevel gear, cylindrical gear, and non-Gleason production machines. These systems reduce set-up and changeover times significantly for gearing applications up to 300 mm in diameter.
Also being featured in the workholding display (and on the Genesis 200GX Threaded Wheel Grinder) will be Gleason’s new tool-less quick change fixturing package, called Quik-Flex® Plus. The cam activated internal lugs in this system provide superior pull down and centering force.
New to Gleason is a line of hydraulic workholding: The holding force, accuracy and contamination free design are well suited for dry gear processing. Also available is Gleason’s new stir-able modular workholding. This design allows off spindle assembly and truing to reduce changeover time as well as the amount of total run-out in the fixture.
