What is Gear Hobbing?

Gear hobbing is a technique that is employed to create gear teeth configurations that are ideal for use in a wide range of machinery components. In cases where the gear hobbing takes place in a mass producing environment, gear hobbing is accomplished through the use of precision gear hobbing machines that ensure that the cut of each tooth on each gear produced meets the specifications set by the producer. Generally, a gear hobbing machine will make use of a series of customized bits that help to create the specific types of cutting and shaping necessary to create gears that posses exactly the right pitch and circle to work in various types of equipment. A customized bit is used for a particular size and type of gear hobbing, which helps to ensure that the cuts that are made into the blank surface of the circle of metal are relatively smooth and uniform. Precision cutters guide the bits, with most of the more sophisticated gear hobbing machinery today being driven by computer software ...  more