GEAR SOLUTIONS MAGAZINE

NOISE ANALYSIS & RAW MATERIALS

A Groundbreaking Concept:
Dry Gear Grinding
ISSUE FOCUS
Noise Analysis & Raw Materials

COMPANY PROFILE:

Blaser Swisslube Inc.

JANUARY 2016

Your Resource for Machines, Services, and Tooling for the Gear Industry

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JANUARY 2016

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Generating Grinding 8mm to 1,250mm

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A machine so large
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Choose the stick that works, cause work doesnt stop

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FEATURES

Company Profile: Blaser Swisslube Inc.

By Molly J. Rogers

Blaser Swisslube has become a global technological leader with its production
of high-end Swiss-quality coolants to improve tool life and productivity.

32

28

Prediction of Airborne Radiated Noise from Lightly

Loaded Lubricated Meshing Gear Teeth
By Stephanos Theodossiades, Miguel De la Cruz, and Homer Rahnejat

By examining a system comprised of a single gear pair, modeled through integrated contact
tribology and inertial transient dynamics, a novel analytical method is introduced for
determination of gear airborne noise under lightly loaded conditions.

42

Developing a Lighter, Stronger, and Cleaner Air-Melt

Steel for Critical Applications
By Patrik lund

To meet todays demands for exceptional fatigue strength and tolerance to complex loads,
a range of isotropic steels called IQ-Steel was developed by applying the IQ process, which
establishes metallurgical and measurement techniques to determine the true distribution
of inclusions in clean steel.

48

Changing the Game with an Innovative Machine

Concept: Dry Hard-Gear Finishing
By Enrico Landi

The development of a groundbreaking technology for a completely dry grinding process

without the need for cutting oils and the release of a new dry-grinding machine has the
potential to significantly transform the production of transmission gears.
JANUARY 2016

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PRECISION.
PERFORMANCE.
PERFECTION.
FIRST TIME.
EVERY TIME.
Manufacturers of:
Broaches
Spline Broaches
Fine Pitch Gear Broaches
Form Broaches
Serration Broaches
Bearing Cage Broaches

Shaper Cutters
Disk Shapers
Shank Shapers
Hex and Square Cutters
Special Form Cutters

Inspection
Master Gears
Go-No Go Gages
Posiloc Arbors
Quick Spline Software

and Universal Gear Company

1605 Industrial Drive
Auburn, CA 95603
Phone: (530) 885-1939
Fax: (530) 885-8157

Call 530-885-1939 or visit

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DEPARTMENTS

08 INDUSTRY
NEWS

Reports, data, and developments to keep

you aware of whats happening with your
colleagues in the gear-manufacturing
industry around the country and world.

ABB Robotics Receives the Global

Powertrain Manufacturing Excellence
Award from the Ford Motor Company

U.S. Patent Office Issues Solar

Manufacturing 20 Bar Furnace Patent

In this section, the premier supporter of gear manufacturing in the United States
and beyond shares news of the organizations activities, upcoming educational and
training opportunities, technical meetings and seminars, standards development,
and the actions of AGMA councils and committees.

20 MATERIALS
MATTER
Mark Michaud
ROUGHNESS MEASUREMENT OF PRECISION GEAR TEETH
Improved finish requirements to reduce surface distress failures
have led to the need for accurate and standardized measurement
of tooth flank roughness.

15

American
Gear Manufacturers
Association

PRODUCT
54 SHOWCASE
60 Q&A
Shawn OBrien
McInnes Rolled Rings

22 TOOTH
TIPS
Matt Mondek
ANALYZING PRODUCT FAILURES
When you get a call that your gears are failing or the gearbox
is damaged, follow a structured process to guide you and your
design team.

TREND
24 TALKS
Anna Claire Howard
AEROSPACE INDUSTRY
With growth in recent years, the aerospace manufacturing industry
is set to continue its upward trend based on several factors affecting
the overall market.

HOT
26 SEAT
Rene Alquicer
CONTROLS SOFTWARE IN ATMOSPHERE EQUIPMENT
When it comes to your atmosphere furnace, controls software
can assist in maintaining balance by regulating, documenting,
and archiving a variety of processes.

Gear Solutions (ISSN 1933 - 7507) is published monthly by Media Solutions, Inc., 266D Yeager Parkway,
Pelham, AL 35124. Phone (205) 380-1573 Fax (205) 380-1580 International subscription rates: $72.00 per year.
Periodicals Postage Paid at Pelham AL and at additional mailing offices. Printed in the USA. POSTMASTER:
Send address changes to Gear Solutions magazine, P.O. Box 1210, Pelham, AL 35124. Publications mail agreement
No. 41395015 return undeliverable Canadian addresses to P.O. Box 503 RPO West Beaver Creek, Richmond
Hill, ON L4B4R6. Copyright 2006 by Media Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or
mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage-and-retrieval system without permission
in writing from the publisher. The views expressed by those not on the staff on Gear Solutions magazine, or who are
not specifically employed by Media Solutions, Inc., are purely their own. All Industry News material has either
been submitted by the subject company or pulled directly from their corporate web site, which is assumed to be
cleared for release. Comments and submissions are welcome, and can be submitted to editor@gearsolutions.com.

JANUARY 2016

VOLUME 14 / NO. 01
Cover Photo: Samputensili

JANUARY 2016

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EDITOR'S

LETTER

David C. Cooper
PUBLISHER

Chad Morrison

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER

EDITORIAL

In the midst of wrapping up our holiday parties and seeing who could devour the most dessert
at our company feast, the Gear Solutions team decided to get a head-start on accomplishing
a few of our new years resolutions. With this first issue of 2016, weve implemented some
noteworthy changes in the design and editorial.
To start, you may notice some pages of the magazine look a little different. Our talented
creative director, Shane Bell, who joined the Gear Solutions team about five months ago, is
responsible for the clean, streamlined design that you see. We know we are late in introducing
Shane to you, but this now seems like an ideal occasion. The well-thought-out changes are subtle,
yet in our eyes, its a world of difference that we cant stop admiring. New year, new design.
And while we have no qualm in giving the design team all the praises, editorial made some
adjustments too. Starting in this issue, there are a couple of new faces within our columns.
An experienced business consultant for the manufacturing industry, Matt Mondek, is taking
over the Tooth Tips column. You may already know Matt from his role in the American Gear
Manufacturers Association (AGMA) as a former chairman. Another new columnist we are
happy to welcome is Ipsens Rene Alquicer, manager of atmosphere products, who stepped up
to the plate to contribute to this months Hot Seat, which continues to focus on heat treating.
Rene brings his knowledge on using an intuitive controls software in atmosphere equipment.
We hope you enjoy the insights from both Matt and Rene on their respective areas of expertise.
In this issue, which has a focus on noise analysis and raw materials, we also welcome a few
new authors to Gear Solutions. Youll find a technical paper from Stephanos Theodossiades, a
professor of non-linear dynamics at Loughborough University. He introduces a novel analytical
method for determination of gear airborne noise under lightly loaded conditions. Next, youll
read about a steel-development process from Ovako that creates an isotropic steel with exceptional fatigue strength and tolerance to complex loads that can be used in critical applications to
reduce weight, drive down costs, and increase reliability; the process is also producing positive
results for the environment. I had the pleasure of speaking with Ovakos president, Jamie Price,
at Gear Expo, and Ive been looking forward to the January issue to share this topic with you.
Our third feature brings exciting and highly anticipated news from Samputensili on the
development of a new technology on dry hard-gear finishing and an innovative dry-grinding
machine. Im sure youll want to read about the specifics of this machine and its capabilities. This is a promising technology that could transform the automotive transmission gear
industry, however, the elimination of lubricating oils in the grinding process may not happen
overnight, and some might even be skeptical. Yet, I was recently told that when dry hobbing
was developed, there were doubts about it too.
The uncertainty of the future is exhilarating and possibly concerning. But many companies
that boast decades of experience in the industry have witnessed and overcome challenges where
theyve adapted to new innovations, thus continuing to thrive.
One such company is Blaser Swisslube, a leader in coolant technology. In our company profile
for this issue, Blaser shares its companys developments, products, and benefits of working with
a high-tech problem-solver focused on meeting its customers requirements.
Observing the enthusiasm from leaders in the industry and the comprehensive issues that
they face, my goal is to present the information that is most important to you and bring these
topics to your table. And what I wouldnt give to be at your table. More feasibly, you could
send me an email, because Id love to hear your thoughts.
As always, thanks for reading!
Molly J. Rogers
Managing Editor
Gear Solutions magazine
editor@gearsolutions.com
(800) 366-2185 x205

Molly J. Rogers
MANAGING EDITOR

Anna Claire Howard

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

SALES

Chad Morrison

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER

CIRCULATION

Teresa Cooper
MANAGER

Kassie Boggan
COORDINATOR

Jamie Willett
ASSISTANT

ART

Shane Bell

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Michele Hall

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

CONTRIBUTING
WRITERS
RENE ALQUICER
MIGUEL DE LA CRUZ
ENRICO LANDI
MARK MICHAUD
MATT MONDEK
PATRIK LUND
HOMER RAHNEJAT
JUSTIN SIKORSKI
STEPHANOS THEODOSSIADES
Vertical Logo

Horizontal L

PUBLISHED BY MEDIA SOLUTIONS, INC.

David C. Cooper
PRESIDENT

Chad Morrison
VICE PRESIDENT

Teresa Cooper
OPERATIONS

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INDUSTRY

NEWS

NEW PRODUCTS, TRENDS, SERVICES,

AND DEVELOPMENTS

Yefim Kotlyar Joins Machine Tool Builders as Applications Engineering Manager

Machine Tool Builders, Inc. (MTB) recently
announced that Yefim Kotlyar has joined the company as the applications engineering manager.
Kotlyar comes to MTB with a long history in
the gear manufacturing business, having worked
for both machine tool OEMs and gear manufacturing and design companies. He is an accomplished author of a variety of papers on gears, gear
manufacturing, gear inspection, cutting tools, and
cutting tool inspection. He holds M.S. degrees in
mechanical engineering from Marine University,

Odessa USSR. He will continue to be an active

member of the AGMA, sitting on various technical committees.
Kotlyar will assist MTB with applications engineering, sales, machine runoffs, machine and tooling designs, advanced software algorithm development, and training of MTB and customer personnel
in gear geometry, inspection techniques, and best
practices.
MTB is a company that rebuilds, recontrols, and
services gear and grinding equipment.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: www.machinetoolbuilders.com

Radzevich Releases New Book on High-Conformal Gearing

High-Conformal Gearing: Kinematics and Geometryby Stephen P. Radzevich
focuses on the design and generation of conformal and high-conformal gearings
and can aid mechanical, automotive, and robotics engineers specializing in gear
design with successfully transmitting a rotation. It also serves as a resource for
graduate students taking advanced courses in gear design.
The book covers the history and development of conformal and high-conformal
gearing, establishes kinematical and geometrical constraints on design parameters,
discusses low-noise gear technologies, examines high-contact strength of gear
teeth, and addresses high power density gearboxes.

Publishers Summary: Presenting a Concept That Makes

Gear Transmissions Noiseless, Smaller, and Lighter in Weight

High-conformal gearing is a new gear system inspired by the human skeleton. Unlike
conventional external involute gearing, which features convex-to-convex contact,
high-conformal gearing features a convex-to-concave type of contact between the
tooth flanks of the gear and the mating pinion. This provides gear teeth with greater
contact strength, supports the conditions needed to transmit a rotation smoothly and
efficiently, and helps eliminate mistakes in the design of high-conformal gearings.
High-Conformal Gearing: Kinematics and Geometryprovides a framework
for ideal conditions and a clear understanding of this novel concept. As a step-bystep guide to complex gear geometry, the book addresses the kinematics and the
geometry of conformal (Novikov gearing) and high-conformal gearing. Written
by a world-renowned gear specialist, it introduces the principles of high-conformal
gearing and outlines its production, inspection, application, and design.
Providing complete coverage of this subject, Radzevich reveals how under
equal rest of the conditions, high-conformal gearing allows for the highest
possible power density, the lowest possible weight, and the highest contact
strength. He also explains how developed conformal and high-conformal
gearings represent examples of geometrically accurate (ideal) gearings, proves
that the ideal non-involute conformal and high-conformal gears cannot be
machined by gear-generating processes, and proposes a distinction between
Wildhaber and Novikov gearings.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: www.crcpress.com
8

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Gleason Renames Distech Systems Business To Operate as Gleason Automation Systems

Gleason Corporation recently announced a
new name and operating structure for Distech
Systems effective January 1. The automation
business will be named Gleason Automation
Systems and will operate as a division of The
Gleason Works.
Acquired in May 2014, Gleason Automation
Systems is a leader in the design and manufacture of factory automation systems. Gleason
Automation Systems manufactures a complete
line of automated tray stacking systems integrating secondary operations such as washing,
inspection, gauging, marking, visioning, and
part tracking. Gleason robotic work cells are
highly adaptable and interface easily to cus-

tomers new or existing equipment. Gleason

Automation Systems serves various industries
including automotive and machine tool, as well
as pharmaceutical and medical applications.
As we have integrated Distech into our
operations along with our increased focus
on providing machine systems solutions, it
made sense to change the name to Gleason
Automation Systems, said John J. Perrotti,
president and CEO of Gleason Corporation.
We see many opportunities to build on the
current capabilities and provide customers
both inside and outside of Gleasons traditional
markets with new solutions to improve quality
and productivity.

Gleason Automation Systems will continue to operate with its current staff at its
manufacturing facility in Gleasons facility in
Rochester, New York.
Gleason is a leader in the development,
manufacture, and sale of gear production
machinery and related equipment and automation solutions. The companys products
are used by customers in automotive, truck,
aircraft, agriculture, mining, energy, construction, power tool, and marine industries and
by a diverse set of customers serving various
industrial equipment markets. Gleason has
manufacturing facilities in the U.S., Germany,
Switzerland, India, China, and Japan.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: www.gleason.com

Houghton International Partners with SMS Group To Provide Rolling Equipment and Fluids
Houghton International, a global leader in
metalworking fluids and services, and SMS
group recently announced an exclusive partnership to develop and distribute rolling
oils for metal production. SMS group is
one of the worlds largest manufacturers
of ferrous and non-ferrous plants and mill
equipment for the production of flat, long,
tubular, and wire products. SMS will work
exclusively with Houghton to develop and
apply advanced metal rolling technologies
to meet the future demands of global metal
producers.
Through this partnership, Houghton and
SMS will leverage their research and development resources to develop advanced metal
rolling oils, and Houghton will become the
exclusive distributor of oils for SMS mill
equipment. This will enable SMS to offer
a complete system of rolling mill technology, including advanced cooling lubricants,
to its customers worldwide. Houghton will
expand business opportunities through its
partnership with SMS as a leading rolling
mill equipment supplier that shares experience in fluid applications and access to
global metal producers.
We are pleased to announce this exclusive partnership, as SMS and Houghton are
leaders in the field of metal rolling equipment and fluids, said Marcello Boldrini,
president of Global Metals & Mining and
Asia for Houghton. We now offer the only
engineering and lubrication solution to global metal manufacturers, which enables us
to provide the most advanced and targeted
solutions to our customers.

We are glad about entering this partnership, which will enable SMS and Houghton to better meet the ever-demanding market requirements for product quality and productivity, said
Rdiger Holz, SMS vice president of Cold Rolling Mills Flat. Our partnership will provide
innovative solutions to our common customers in the metals producing industries worldwide.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: www.sms-group.com www.houghtonintl.com

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U.S. Patent Office Issues Solar Manufacturing 20 Bar Furnace Patent

Solar Manufacturing recently announced the
United States Patent and Trademark Office
(USPTO) has officially issued a patent for the
new 20 bar super quench vacuum furnace as
Patent number 9,187,799. The official patent
is available to the public at USPTO.gov.
One major advantage of the new design is
the use of movable radiation baffle doors that
prevent heat loss during heat cycles and open
wide to avoid pressure drops during cooling
cycles. The application of the open doors
in combination with the use of a plenum
RCLE
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fan arrangement, generous annular space for

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Low pressure cooling is typically sacrificed
by undersized fans normally selected for high
pressure quench systems. The new system
operates in a constant horsepower mode over
a large range of quenching pressures.
Commercially, Solar Manufacturings
first 20 bar high pressure quench vacuum
heat treating furnace is located at Solar
Atmospheres of Western PA. The furnace
has a 36" x 36" x 48" work zone with a 5,000
lbs. load capacity, and the cooling rates are
reported to be significantly better than any
other high pressure gas quench furnace currently in production.
Solar Manufacturing designs and manufactures all types of vacuum furnaces for heat
treating, brazing, carburizing, nitriding and
hydriding/de-hydriding and offers replacement hot zones and spare parts for various
vacuum furnace brands.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
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ABB Robotics Receives the

Global Powertrain Manufacturing
Excellence Award from the Ford
Motor Company

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The Global Powertrain Manufacturing

Excellence award from the Ford Motor
Company was presented to ABB Robotics at
the Ford Powertrain Manufacturing global
supplier summit in Dearborn, Michigan, on
October 28, 2015. The award recognized
ABBs Flexible Cylinder Head Assembly
(FCHA) system for bringing superior technical innovation and global supply solutions
to improve investment efficiency at Ford.
The FCHA system is the result of the
joint development effort between Ford
Powertrain Manufacturing Engineering and
ABB Robotics Powertrain Robot Systems.
ABB began developing the FCHA technology
in 2008 for a formal design competition that
Ford Motor Company initiated to develop
a more flexible and cost-effective system to
assemble cylinder heads at its engine manufacturing facilities. After reviewing designs

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from six participating manufacturers, Ford

selected two to work with further. Following
a second development phase and a subsequent
review in 2010, Ford selected ABB as a sole
development partner for this technology.
For the last five years, the ABB research
and development (R&D) team at the facility
in Auburn Hills, Michigan, has collaborated with the Ford Powertrain Advanced
Manufacturing Engineering (AME) group
to refine the technology. In 2014, when the
development had progressed to the stage
where it satisfactorily addressed the necessary challenges, ABB won a competitive bid
to deliver four complete FCHA systems.
The first is currently being launched at the
Ford Cleveland engine plant, with additional
systems soon bound for Lima, Ohio; Essex,
Ontario, Canada; and Chihuahua, Mexico.
The ABB FCHA design improves upon
traditional serial assembly systems by allowing multiple cylinder head architectures to
be assembled simultaneously, without the
need for time-consuming and productionhalting changeovers. The innovative technology provides a modular and flexible platform
based on parallel processing, minimizing, and
in many instances eliminating, the use of
dedicated stations. This incorporates redundancy for critical operations and allows
production volumes to be easily adjusted
as required.
Collaborating with Ford on this project
has been very rewarding; nobody else has
this technology, said Isaac Zolotarev, R&D
manager at ABB Robotics. With a very competitive initial investment, we can provide a
system that reduces tooling costs and the time
required to launch new architectures, while
improving product quality and reducing
the system footprint. It is a very significant
accomplishment in cost effective flexibility
and performance.
A complete FCHA system features 15
ABB robots, comprised of four different
medium and high payload 6-axis models.
Certain modules within the system can be
integrated into existing, traditional cylinder
head assembly stations, such as installation
of plugs, sealer dispensing, valvetrain assembly and test.
Additional FCHA system features include:
Force and distance monitoring for valve
assembly and key up processes prevent
damage of delicate components
Integrated key up checks at point of assembly
Loctite/sealer dispensing with a single
nozzle for any size holes
Integrated quality checks throughout the
assembly process

Ford has designated the system as an internal Bill of Process (BOP), establishing it
as the new design standard for all cylinder
head assembly lines installed at Ford engine
manufacturing systems.
The technologies and methods utilized
within the FCHA system are adaptable across
a wide spectrum of applications and prod-

ucts, opening up potential for the design

components to be applied to a wide variety
of alternative uses and industries.
ABB and Ford have filed a joint patent
application for the FCHA system at the
United States Patent and Trademark Office
and other patent offices. The U.S. application
is published as US 2015/0240744 A1.

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ABB is a leader in power and automation

technologies that enable utility and industry customers to improve their performance
while lowering environmental impact. The
ABB Group of companies operates in around
100 countries and employs approximately
150,000 people.
ABB Robotics is a leading supplier of
industrial robots, while also providing robot
software, peripheral equipment, modular
manufacturing cells and service for tasks
such as welding, handling, assembly, painting and finishing, picking, packing, palletizing, and machine tending. Key markets

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Phone
oror203-775-4877
775-6552sales@nordex.com
sales@nordex.com
203-775-4877 Fax:
Fax: (203)
(203) 775-6552

12

include automotive, plastics, metal fabrication, foundry, electronics, machine tools,

pharmaceutical, and food and beverage
industries. A strong solutions focus helps
manufacturers improve productivity, product
quality, and worker safety.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
www.abb.com/robotics

Des-Case Acquires OilMiser

Product Line
Des-Case Corporation, a manufacturer of
specialty filtration products that improve process equipment reliability and extend lubricant life for companies around the world,
recently announced its acquisition of JLM
Systems Limited, most popularly known in
the industry for their OilMiser products.
The OilMiser product line includes oil
mist adapters, oil sampling products, reservoir
aspirators, equipment adapters, and more that
protect gearboxes and hydraulic reservoirs
from harmful contamination. The Vapor
Guard oil mist adapter, which enables oil
to condense back into the reservoir creating
a safer work environment, is the companys
leading product and an important strategic
fit to Des-Cases desiccant breathers.
Dick Gangnon, president of JLM Systems,
has always stood by the goal of saving a
million gallons of oil, one ounce at a time.
Bringing the OilMiser array of products into the Des-Case product portfolio
will continue our growth as the industrys
top resource to help companies improve
equipment reliability, said Brian Gleason,
president and CEO of Des-Case. Equally
important, with our global network of distributors and OEM partners, well enable
the OilMiser product line which has
been trusted by hundreds of companies for
years to address far more reliability needs
around the world.
Founded in 1980, JLM Systems Limited
was launched by Gangnon to provide an
innovative solution for a customer with frequent contamination and breakdown issues.
Ive always been an innovator and
problem-solver, said Gangnon. OilMiser
products have played a key role in helping
increase equipment reliability, but in the
hands of Des-Case, they will be able to
support so many more global reliability engineers in their efforts to improve equipment
uptime. I feel like Im leaving my innovations in the hands of a leading company that
will take them far.

426 Federal Road

gearsolutions.com

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Brookfield, CT 06804 Phone (800) 243-0986

or 203-775-4877 Fax: (203) 775-6552 sales@nordex.com
12/18/15 2:23 PM

Following the sale, Gangnon will become

a product technical consultant to Des-Case
to help provide a seamless transition.
Headquartered near Nashville, Tennessee,
Des-Case Corporation manufactures specialty

filtration products for industrial lubricants.

Founded in 1983, the company markets a
broad array of products designed to help
companies make equipment investments last
longer. Des-Case has worked with some of

the worlds largest companies, both directly

and through partners. Its trademarked and
patented solutions are marketed through an
extensive distribution network, private label
distributors, and OEM partners.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: www.descase.com www.oilmiser.com

Klingelnberg Mexico Celebrates 15-Year Anniversary

The Klingelnberg subsidiary in Mexico, with
individual technical service, sales services, spare
parts supply and grinding service center, recently celebrated its 15-year success story.
November 17, 2015, was a special day for
the 17 employees of the Mexican subsidiary
in Quertaro City and their families. In honor
of this occasion, Jan Klingelnberg, CEO of
Klingelnberg AG, traveled to the site and
presented awards to long-serving employees
of the company.
Thanks to our committed employees,
Klingelnberg Mexico provides extremely professional support to our customers, both as far
Founded in 1863, the Klingelnberg company in the automotive, commercial vehicle, aircraft,
as our machines are concerned and also with is one of the leading companies in the gear shipbuilding, wind power, and general gearbox
regard to services and application development industry. Klingelnberg solutions can be found manufacturing industries.
which has now been the case for 15 years,
said Klingelnberg. I would like to take this FOR MORE INFORMATION: www.klingelnberg.com
opportunity to thank everyone concerned.
The Latin American subsidiary was founded
as Klingelnberg Oerlikon Mexico in 2000 in
the centrally located state of Quertaro, which
is a strategic location, particularly with regard to
FOR GEAR MACHINERY
the automotive industry. With this new on-site
presence, Klingelnberg was covering the increasing demand for local, individual service in this
market, which is important to the company.
INSPECTION LINE
It all started with five employees, recalled
Adrin Hernndez, director of the Mexican
The TTi line of gear inspection
subsidiary. We now have 17 and can fulfill
equipment can be found in
more than 95 percent of incoming service
manufacturing facilities all
orders here on site thanks to intensive training.
over the world, proven to be
high quality and long lasting
Support from our colleagues in Germany and
machines. TTi maintains
Switzerland is only required in special cases.
their products from the
When the subsidiary was established, service
development of the program
was the main focus of the strategic oriensoftware to the aftercare
tation, but because of the positive demand
maintenance. With patented
software and components, the
for Klingelnberg products on the market, the
TTi product offers value above
field of activities has been gradually expanded.
other manufacturers. 0-3.2M
Sales services and the supplying of spare parts
capacity available. Sold,
were added, and in 2011, the company finally
serviced and warrantied by us!
moved into a new building and opened a
grinding service center in order to provide
customers with comprehensive support. The
facility has been well-received.
"In the beginning, we had five machines
www.rpmachine.com
on the market, said Hernndez. There are
now more than 250, and the market is still
on the move.

YOUR #1 SOURCE

TTI CNC GEAR

866.256.3708
JANUARY 2016

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BK_GearSolutionsAd_GearSolutMag.qxp_Layout 1 6/8/15 3:55 PM Page 1

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American
Gear Manufacturers
Association

Justin Sikorski
Staff Engineer
AGMA

AGMA Technical Committees:

Successes of 2015 and Plans for 2016
AGMA technical committees had a productive
2015, developing the standards and information
sheets that help the gear industry operate effectively
and efficiently. Last year, AGMA published
new revisions of four standards, and it will be
publishing five standards and one information
sheet in early 2016. The development of these
documents would not have been possible without
the dedicated support and expertise that the
AGMA membership provides to the association.
The AGMA Technical Division Executive
Committee would like to thank these individuals
and their companies for all of their hard work.
The majority of the 140-plus technical committee meetings in 2015 took place via web conferences, allowing participants to attend the meetings
without significant disruptions to their day-to-day
responsibilities. AGMA has always relied on the
dedicated support and expertise of our membership to develop the technical standards and information sheets that continually advance the gear
industry. Members of AGMA technical committees are the authors of the standards that benefit
the gearing industry worldwide. These benefits
are not limited to the users of these standards.
Technical committee members and their companies find the opportunity to participate in the
development of these documents professionally
and intellectually beneficial. Each member of a
technical committee has the chance to interact
with and learn from his or her peers from all
around the gear industry, as well as gain an intimate understanding of the information contained
within the document being developed.
The following is a list of documents that AGMA
technical committees published in 2015:
ANSI/AGMA 2015-2-B15, Gear Tooth Flank
Tolerance Classification System Definitions
and Allowable Values of Double Flank Radial
Composite Deviations
ANSI/AGMA 6002-C15, Design Guide for
Vehicle Spur and Helical Gears
ANSI/AGMA 6102-C15, Design Guide for
Vehicle Spur and Helical Gears (Metric Edition)
ANSI/AGMA 9112-B15, Bores and Keyways for
Flexible Couplings (Metric Series)

The following is a list of documents that AGMA

technical committees will publish in early 2016:
ANSI/AGMA 6014, Gear Power Rating for
Cylindrical Shell and Trunnion Supported
Equipment
ANSI/AGMA 6114, Gear Power Rating for
Cylindrical Shell and Trunnion Supported
Equipment (Metric Edition)
ANSI/AGMA 6013, Standard for Industrial
Enclosed Gear Drives
ANSI/AGMA 6113, Standard for Industrial
Enclosed Gear Drives (Metric Edition)
ANSI/AGMA 9005, Industrial Gear Lubrication
AGMA 920, Materials for Plastic Gears
Looking forward to 2016, there are several
exciting projects that will be getting underway.
The Lubrication Committee, having recently completed its work on the latest revision of ANSI/
AGMA 9005, Industrial Gear Lubrication, will
begin a project to separate the lubrication and
lubricant information found in the current standard in order to create two documents. Over the
last couple of revisions of ANSI/AGMA 9005, the
document has steadily increased its content about
lubricants. The new project will focus on creating
a general lubrication document while providing assistance to application-specific committees
(high-speed applications, aerospace applications,
open gearing applications, etc.) and incorporating
application-specific lubrication considerations into
their application-specific documents.
Another project beginning in 2016 is a revision of ANSI/AGMA 6001-E08. This document
provides an acceptable practice for the design
and selection of components for enclosed gear
drives, in addition to fundamental equations for
the proper sizing of shafts, keys, and fasteners
based on stated allowable stresses. The committee
responsible for the work on ANSI/AGMA 6001
is the Enclosed Drives for Industrial Applications
Committee.
AGMA technical committees will also continue their work on a revision of AGMA 925-A03,
Effect of Lubrication on Gear Surface Distress.
The current version, AGMA 925, provides

methods for calculating elastohydrodynamic

lubrication (EHL) film thickness and contact
temperature. This information sheet also provides methods for predicting the probability of
unwanted surface distresses, such as wear and
scuffing. As part of the revision, the committee
is planning to update these methods and will
attempt to develop a method for predicting the
probability of micropitting.
Another project that was started in 2015 (and
is still in its early stages of development) is the
second part of AGMA 919, Condition Monitoring
and Diagnostics of Gear Units and Open Gears. Part
two of AGMA 919 will look at the application
of diagnostic tools and instrumentation to analyze vibration, acoustics, motor current signature,
and lubrication. The information sheet will also
discuss the methods for condition monitoring,
performing diagnostics, monitoring temperature,
establishing baseline data for trend analysis, and
non-destructive testing of in-service gear units
and open gearing. The work on this project is
being completed by the Sound and Vibration
Committee.
The Metallurgy and Materials Committee will
also continue work on the new revision of AGMA
923-B05, Metallurgical Specifications for Steel
Gearing. This document identifies metallurgical
quality characteristics, which are important to
the performance of steel gearing and performance
levels of gearing by heat treatment method and
grade number. For each heat treatment method
and AGMA grade number, acceptance criteria are
given for the various metallurgical characteristics
identified in this document. With this revision,
the committee is looking to ensure the documents
continued compatibility with the latest industry
practices.
A full listing of AGMA technical committees, including a scope of their activities, can be
found in the Technical Committees section of the
AGMA website, www.agma.org. For additional
information about AGMA technical committees,
standards, and information sheets, or AGMA
software, please contact the AGMA Technical
Division at tech@agma.org.

JANUARY 2016

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UPCOMING AGMA

GEAR MATERIALS: SELECTION, METALLURGY, HEAT TREATMENT, AND QUALITY CONTROL

FEBRUARY 24-26, 2016
Clearwater Beach, Florida
$1,895 AGMA Members
($1,695 additional registrant from same company)

$2,395 Non-Members
($2,195 additional registrant from same company)

INSTRUCTORS: Raymond J. Drago and Roy Cunningham

The design of an optimum gear set requires the coordinated effort of
the gear design engineer, the gear metallurgist, and the bearing system
engineer. The instructors of this course are a gear design engineer and a
metallurgist who have worked collaboratively on projects for more than 40
years. Learn the roles of each of these professionals and how collaborative
efforts can provide better outcomes. Additional information on gear-related
problems, failures, and improved processing procedures will be reviewed.

16

FOLLOWING THIS SEMINAR, PARTICIPANTS WILL BE ABLE TO:

Describe the advantages and disadvantages of the various gear material choices, including steel, cast iron, ductile iron, plastics, bronze, and
more exotic choices.
Explain heat treatment processes and their relation to gear performance,
cost, reliability, and load characteristics.
Apply best practice for engineer drawings to define and control the material selection process in an unambiguous, clear, and complete manner.
Identify the five important areas of the engineering drawing that the
metallurgist should look for.
Use the proper nomenclature for gear materials.
Describe typical heat treatment processing technique for gear materials.
Explain why the metallurgist should review the manufacturing process
sequence and list what he should look for.
Discuss the types of grinding burns and how to prevent them from
occurring.

American
Gear Manufacturers
Association
gearsolutions.com

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TRAINING COURSES

GEARBOX CSI: FORENSIC ANALYSIS

OF GEAR & BEARING FAILURES

AGMA ADVANCED GEAR ENGINEERING

CERTIFICATE

MARCH 22-24, 2016

Best Western Plus Concordville Hotel, Concordville, Pennsylvania

In the past eight years, AGMA has steadily added to its advanced gear
engineering course offerings with now seven courses that make up the
AGMA Advanced Gear Engineering Academy. More than 1,600 individuals
have participated in these courses, and several have taken five or more
courses to receive the AGMA Advanced Gear Engineering Certificate.

INSTRUCTORS: Raymond J. Drago and Joseph W. Lenski, Jr.

This seminar helps gear designers gain a better understanding of various
types of gears and bearings. Learn about the limitation and capabilities of rolling element bearings and the gears that they support so you
can properly apply the best gear-bearing combination to any gearbox,
whether simple or complex.

For these dedicated individuals, the certificate represents more than

100 classroom hours. It is quite an achievement and demonstrates real
passion for continuing education in the gear industry. AGMA and the
AGMA Education Advisory Council are pleased to recognize those who
have accomplished this in 2015:

FOLLOWING THIS SEMINAR, PARTICIPANTS WILL BE ABLE TO:

Apply their understanding of forensic analysis of gearbox failures in
future gearbox designs.
Discuss bearing and gear types.
Explain how bearing selection is influenced by gear type and loading.
Select appropriate bearing types and configurations as influenced
by gear type and loading.
Explain how to optimize bearing and gear combinations.
Identify seven material and manufacturing-related defects.

Jrgen Jakobsen, Vestas Wind Systems A/S

Andy Mugrage, UTC Aerospace Systems
Francis Nagy, Deca Industries, Ltd.

AGMA ADVANCED GEAR ENGINEERING ACADEMY COURSES INCLUDE:

Bevel Gear System Design

Detailed Gear Design
Gearbox CSI
Gear Materials

Gear Manufacturing and

Inspection
Gearbox System Design
Gear Failure Analysis

1001 N. Fairfax Street | Suite 500 | Alexandria VA 22314 | (703) 684-0211 | www.agma.org
JANUARY 2016

GS-2016-01.indb 17

17

12/18/15 2:24 PM

CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Whether youre looking for technical education, networking opportunities, or a way for your voice to be heard in the standards
process, AGMA has something to offer you. If you would like more information on any of the following events, visit www.agma.org
or send an email to events@agma.org.

JANUARY

Computer Programming Committee Meeting January 19, 2016 WebEx

Enclosed Drives for Industrial Applications Committee Meeting January 19, 2016 WebEx
Vehicle Gearing Committee Meeting January 20, 2016 WebEx
Helical Gear Rating Committee (925) Meeting January 21, 2016 WebEx
Cutting Tools Committee Meeting January 28-29, 2016 Tampa, Florida

FEBRUARY

Technical Division Executive Committee Meeting February 3-4, 2016 Orlando, Florida
Lubrication Committee Meeting February 9, 2016 WebEx
Mill Gearing Committee Meeting February 10, 2016 WebEx
Accuracy Committee Meeting February 16, 2016 WebEx
Plastics Committee Meeting February 17-18, 2016 Ft. Myers, Florida
Wind Turbine Gearing Committee Meeting February 18-19, 2016 Denver, Colorado
Aerospace Gearing Committee Meeting February 22-23, 2016 Livermore, California
Gear Materials: Selection, Metallurgy, Heat Treatment
and Quality Control February 24-26 Clearwater Beach, Florida

MARCH

Events are open to AGMA members only. Not a member? Send an email to membership@agma.org.

Helical Gear Rating Committee (925) Meeting March 3, 2016 WebEx

Enclosed Drives for Industrial Applications Committee Meeting March 8, 2015 WebEx
ISO-TC60 Working Group 4 March 8-9, 2016 AGMA Headquarters, Alexandria, Virginia
ISO-TC60 Working Group 2 March 10-11, 2016 AGMA Headquarters, Alexandria, Virginia
Wind Turbine Gearing Committee Meeting March 22, 2016 WebEx
Gearbox CSI: Forensic Analysis of Gear & Bearing Failures March 22-24, 2016 Concordville, Pennsylvania

STAFF

Dean Burrows: Chairman

President, Gear Motions Inc.

Kenneth J. Flowers: Machine Tool Builders, Inc.

William Gornicki: ALD-Holcroft Vacuum Technologies Co., Inc.

Jim Bregi: Treasurer

President, Doppler Gear Company

John Cross: Chairman, BMEC

ASI Technologies Inc.

Thomas Maiuri: Chairman, TDEC

The Gleason Works

Lou Ertel: Chairman Emeritus

Overton Chicago Gear Corporation

Joe Franklin, Jr.: President

Amir Aboutaleb: Vice President, Technical Division
Jenny Blackford: Vice President, Marketing
Jill Johnson: Director, Member Services

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

AGMA LEADERSHIP

John E. Grazia: GearTec Inc.

Steve Janke: Brelie Gear
Aarnout Kant: Siemens AG, Mechanical Drives - Winergy
David Long: Chalmers & Kubeck Inc.
Justin McCarthy: Scot Forge Company
Don Michael: Martin Sprocket & Gear
Andrea Scanavini: Somaschini North America
Brian Schultz: Great Lakes Industry, Inc.
George Thomas: Bison Gear & Engineering Corp.
Wendy Young: Forest City Gear

General requests: webmaster@agma.org | Membership questions: membership@agma.org | Gear Expo information: gearexpo@agma.org
Technical/Standards information: tech@agma.org | AGMA Foundation: foundation@agma.org

18

gearsolutions.com

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WWW.RAVEGEARS.COM

RAV
R
A E GEARS AND MACHINING
AV

Rave Gears promises to deliver the highest quality gears & machined parts,
on-time, at a fair price.
We specialize in Ground Tooth Spiral Bevel Gears & complex 9-axis machining.
Our key advantage: Streamlined processes using state-of-the-art engineering
& production systems that result in cost savings & fast delivery.
Rave Gears is proud to be the best-equipped gear company in the USA.
Rave Gears has a strong team of talented engineering & production experts.
Current customers include Bell Helicopter, SpaceX, United Technologies, GE,
Baker Hughes, Penske Racing.

Klingelnberg P65 Gear Analyzer

Klingelnberg G60 Gear Grinder

Mori Seiki NT 5400

425 Strempel St. Seguin, TX USA

A 78155
(855) RAV GEAR | 855-728-4327 | 830-421-3295
sales@ravegears.com

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MATERIALS

MATTER

MARK MICHAUD
PRESIDENT
REM SURFACE ENGINEERING

ROUGHNESS MEASUREMENT OF PRECISION GEAR TEETH

Improved finish requirements to reduce surface distress failures have led to the need
for accurate and standardized measurement of tooth flank roughness.
OVER THE PAST 25 YEARS, INDUSTRIES SUCH AS POWER
generation, aerospace, automotive, and others have continuously
increased the operational demands of gearboxes. The precision gears
used in these highly loaded, low-speed or high-speed gear applications are susceptible to surface distress failures. Consequently, tooth
flank roughness finish has become a key parameter for gearbox
designers, manufacturers, and operators. Failure modes such as
micropitting, macropitting, scuffing, and wear are all dependent
on these flank finishes. Assuming that all appropriate gear design,
manufacturing, and lubrication criteria have been utilized, it is the
flank finishes that will determine the gearboxes susceptibility to
surface distress failure.

BACKGROUND ON FLANK FINISHING

Prior to the 1990s, a precision ground gear flank could be finished to
an Ra of roughly 20-32 in. Additional flank finishing operations,
such as honing or lapping, could achieve Ra finishes of roughly
12-20 in.
With the application of the ISF Process to gears, starting in the
mid 1990s, finishes of Ra 4 in have become widely commercialized. Initially, there were concerns that superfinished gears would not
retain lubricant on the smooth tooth surface and that the superfinish
would therefore be a detriment. Over the years, there have been many
discussions regarding the overly used yet scientifically uncertain oil
pocket theory. This theory suggests that deep grinding valleys
must be left on the flanks to carry lubricant through the contact
zone. Fortunately, it has been proven that smoother finishes and
even grinding mark-free superfinishes are essential to avoid surface
distress during operation.
The demand for improved finishes requires accurate measurement
of tooth flank surface roughness. Yet, to this day, flank roughness
measurement is often inaccurate and lacks standardization. The
following sections describe how to accurately measure tooth flank
surface roughness on the gear manufacturing shop floor using an
internationally standardized approach.

SHOP FLOOR PROFILOMETER

A profilometer is an instrument for measuring surface texture. Surface
texture is separated by the instruments filter into its waviness (long
wavelength) and its roughness (short wavelength). Here, this discussion focuses on the tooths roughness.
For shop floor measurements, a diamond-tip contact stylus profilometer is the appropriate instrument. There are a number of suitable
instruments available from recognized profilometer manufacturers. A
well-equipped profilometer system will include the contact head with
an articulated holder, the controller/processer unit, and a data storage
computer and/or printer. Also included with the profilometer should
be spare styluses, calibration pads, and a clamping device. See Figure 1
for a schematic of a typical contact stylus profilometer. The skidded20

type stylus is recommended when only roughness measurements will

be taken. Handheld profilometer units are not recommended due to
their inherent inaccuracy linked to the operators hand movement
during measurement.

Figure 1: Contact stylus profilometer

The instrument selected must be capable of making roughness

measurements that can comply with ISO-4287 (1997), ISO-4288
(1998), and ISO-3274 (1996) standards. With experience and care,
compliance to these international standards will ensure that measurements will be accurate and reproducible.

MEASUREMENT STANDARDS
Surface texture filtration is a complex subject and is beyond the
scope of this discussion. For those interested, ISO-16610 is a family of standards on this subject. Fortunately, for precision gears, a
simple Gaussian filter meets the ISO requirements. As such, shop
floor contact stylus profilometers should be equipped with and take
measurements using an ISO-approved Gaussian filter.
ISO-4287 is the international standard for the definitions of surface roughness. For tooth flank roughness, Ra, Rz, and Rmr are
key parameters to be specified and measured with precision gears.
ISO-4288 is the international standard covering how to measure
surface roughness. This standard establishes the setup requirements for the profilometer and the procedures on how to take the
roughness measurements.
ISO-3274 is the international standard for defining the capabilities
and requirements of contact stylus instruments and the stylus tips.
Combining the key elements of these three ISO standards can be
consolidated into the simple reference chart in Figure 2 for precision
gear roughness measurement. This chart shows the international
standard for cutoff length (filter), evaluation length, cutoff ratio,
and stylus tip size for the typical range of surface roughness found
in precision gears. A chart such as this should be posted with all
profilometer instruments in order to assure that measurements are
taken consistently and correctly.
A properly equipped shop floor profilometer may look similar to
Figure 3. Here, it is set up to measure a wind turbine planet tooth
flank. Figure 4 shows the measurement results, following the ISO
standards, of the superfinished wind turbine gear.

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Figure 2: Profilometer setup guide *For surfaces with an Ra > 20 in, a tip with a radius of 5 m can usually be used
without significant differences in the measurement result.

Data storage computer

Controller processer unit

Articulated magnetic holder

Contact head
Figure 4: Planet gear measurement results

PROFILOMETER TIP ANALYSIS

The recommended profilometer is a rugged
instrument capable of thousands of roughness
measurements without developing problems
and should require only annual or even biannual calibration to maintain functionality.
However, the diamond-tip styluses are the
delicate components within the profilometer
system. They will become dirty, worn, or damaged through regular use. Spare styluses are
essential to maintain the capability of a profilometry system. Regularly scheduled checks
of the stylus via a calibration pad measurement are the fastest way to verify its condition
while on the shop floor. If a diamond tip is
dirty, worn, or damaged, the measurement
across the calibration pad will not match the
pads roughness. Dirty, worn, or damaged tips
will typically result in an inaccurately smooth
roughness measurement, thus dangerously misleading. When this occurs, the stylus must be
cleaned and retested. If this does not solve the
problem, the stylus must be taken out of service

for further investigation and possibly returned

to the manufacturer for repair.
Figures 5, 6, and 7 show examples of the
diamond-tip styluses and the associated calibration measurements.
Most precision gear roughness measurements
require a 2-micron tipped stylus as per ISO.
However, a 5-micron tip is permitted on surface roughness of Ra > 20 in, provided that
the larger tip size is noted, since the measured
difference is small. Obviously, a 5-micron tip is
much more durable compared to a 2-micron tip.

Figure 3: Shop floor profilometer measurement of a

wind turbine planet tooth flank

Figure 5: Good stylus tip (left) and a damaged

stylus tip (right)

CONCLUSION
It has been shown that a diamond-tip contact
stylus profilometer is capable of accurately
and consistently measuring precision gear
flank roughness by following the ISO-4287,
ISO-4288, and ISO-3274 standards. With
experience and care, this shop floor profilometer will consistently measure precision gear
tooth flank roughness to verify compliance
to design specification.

Figure 6: Good tip analysis

Figure 7: Damaged tip analysis

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Mark Michaud, president of REM Surface Engineering, is a leading expert in the field of isotropic superfinishing of engineered metal
components. During his 35-year career at REM, he has worked in research, operations, sales, and management. Michaud has been granted over 100 patents,
published numerous technical articles, and given lectures in the United States, Europe, and Asia. Mark has degrees in chemistry from Reed College and an MBA
from the University of Hartford. He can be reached at mmichaud@remchem.com. ISF is a registered trademark of REM Chemicals, Inc.

JANUARY 2016

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TOOTH

TIPS

MATT MONDEK
PRESIDENT
MONDEK SOLUTIONS

ANALYZING PRODUCT FAILURES

When you get a call that your gears are failing or the gearbox is damaged, follow a
structured process to guide you and your design team.
IN THE DESIGN AND MANUFACTURING OF ANY PRODUCT,
there will always be failures, and whether anticipated or not, you can
bet that they will come when you least expect them. Determining
the cause and who carries what part of the responsibility can be a
sensitive, yet critical matter. You need to be confident that if design
changes are warranted, they are effective in eradicating the failure.
Here, lets focus on the design side and utilize the following approach.
Step 1: Define the problem and its scope (evidence is key).
How long has the problem been happening (years, months, days, or
once) and how many have failed (one part, one lot size, or one gearbox model)? On the design side, this will help you understand how
sensitive the product may be to the application. On the business
side, this will help you determine a budget to fund the exposure.
Have a thorough discussion with your customer to understand
exactly what the circumstances were when the failure occurred
and, specifically, what was the problem. Your customer may not
completely understand how their product is used. If this is the
case, have someone on your technical team visit the end-user site
and conduct interviews. Speaking with the operator of the product
can uncover valuable information that they felt was insignificant.
Step 2: Gather the data.
Collect all of the available data such as hours, loads, application,
population size, design changes, supplier or manufacturing processing changes, customer changes, and how many items have shipped.
Utilize statistical and reliability tools such as Weibull analysis,
MTBF (mean time between failures), and MTTF (mean time to
failure) to help quantify the actual life and uptime. Do the results
fall into gear premature failure or expected design life?
Ensure that what you designed and delivered was capable of meeting expectations. Check your design file and confirm that the actual
duty cycle was known, your design team calculated performance to
the expected duty cycle, and that an appropriate safety factor was
achieved. Specifically, were the end users duty cycle, system inputs,
system outputs, and the environment thoroughly called out? Did
the customer acknowledge that the design met the requirements?
Did your design team understand and apply applicable design
protocol? Was the appropriate safety factor for the intended environment and use applied? What were the systems dynamics, and
were they understood? (It is not uncommon for a component or
subassembly to prematurely fail because of an element outside of
your design control. Parts of the assembly, the power input, mounts,
or isolators could contribute to or initiate a system excitation.)

Validate that what you manufactured met your own design specifications. Did the design team take into consideration the impact
of manufacturings variability? Do your manufacturing records
and test results confirm compliance?
Get all the related parts and, if possible, any contributing components like shafts, couplers, clutches, and PTOs. Find their design
and performance-specific characteristics.
Preserve the as-received condition of the parts. Conduct a thorough
visual inspection prior to any disassembly and capture what you
find with photographs and a written summary. Is there any evidence of misuse, overloading, corrosive elements, or parts exhibiting
yield? Were the parts and assemblies maintained and lubricated
properly? Do the failed parts indicate brittle or fatigue failure?
(Take high-resolution digital photographs of any failed surfaces.) A
quick refresher in your metallurgical references can help you here.
Inspect the mating gears, shafts, housings, bearings, and add-on
components. Collect samples of the oil or grease and have them
analyzed. Look for contaminants and debris that may help identify
contributors to failure.
Be sure to employ outside services if necessary. Results from providers of specialized services such as FEA (finite element analysis),
test labs (to provide fatigue, destructive, metallurgical, chemical,
or nondestructive testing), and system dynamic response analysis
in the field can be invaluable.
Step 3: Identify the root cause.
Be sure that the team working on the problem has a balanced skill set.
Generate many contributory probabilities and scenarios. Implement
brainstorming, cause and effect diagrams, and pareto charts.
Review your data; challenge any changes in process, design, or use.
Develop a short list of probable causes, and select the most plausible.
At this point, you should have a clear understanding if the failure
was related to an inadequate design or attributable to other factors.
Step 4: Implement changes.
Once you have a likely cause, then you can redesign the part,
system, or process to specifically address that concern.
Make changes that will outpace the variability in use. Aim for
roughly a 20- to 25-percent improvement in the criteria.
Test the solution in a real-world application if possible before you
turn the production switch back on.
There will always be failures, but delivering the right solution the first
time is critical for your customers and your business.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Matt Mondek is the president of Mondek Solutions, a consulting business committed to driving the success of
manufacturers through common-sense implementation of multi-disciplined best practices and problem resolution. He has over 38 years
of experience in P&L, executive level leadership, operational effectiveness, quality, and product design. For more information, contact Mondek at
mmondek@mondeksolutions.com or 815-382-1987, and visit www.mondeksolutions.com.

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Never settle for close when you can have precision fit.

When it comes to the mechanical components you count on, close just doesnt cut it. Common sense says a
poor fit and premature wear will eventually lead to failure. And no one has time for that. At Schafer, we specialize
in custom, precision-fit products designed to keep equipment moving. Simply put, our service, quality and on-time
delivery are second to none. Reliability is our trademark and it has helped us grow from Schafer Gear to Schafer
Industries. These days, our expertise doesnt end with gears. Now were leading the way in driveline, axle and brake
applications as well. So whether youre in the automotive, truck, marine, off-road leisure, heavy equipment
or aviation industry, look no further than Schafer. For more information visit us online.

SchaferIndustries.com

JANUARY 2016

GS-2016-01.indb 23

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TREND

TALKS

ANNA CLAIRE HOWARD

ASSOCIATE EDITOR
GEAR SOLUTIONS MAGAZINE

AEROSPACE INDUSTRY
With growth in recent years, the aerospace manufacturing industry is set to continue
its upward trend based on several factors affecting the overall market.
THE COMMERCIAL AEROSPACE BUSINESS IS EXPANDING DUE
to a rebound in global economies and the rise of emerging regions, and
its continuing to evolve. According to Strategy&, the strategy consulting business for the firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), things
fell into place for the commercial aerospace industry in 2015. Interest
rates were low, financing was readily available, carrier-operating costs
came down (partly due to lower crude oil prices), and demand rose.
However, the challenge comes with managing the surge of orders
and subsequent need for production of aircraft.
Manufacturing issues vary depending on if a company is an OEM
or a parts supplier as well as on its size, market share, and performance but the overall circumstances that the majority of aerospace
companies face are similar. According to Strategy&s analysis, there
are several trends commercial aerospace companies must adopt in
order to take advantage of the industrys success.
Trends in the aerospace industry by OEMs have been to streamline the entire supply chain process in order to drive costs down,
said Paul Chana, the vice president of sales and engineering at Avion
Technologies Inc., a provider of contract manufacturing services to
the defense, aerospace, and heavy equipment industries. Greater
emphasis is being put on lean manufacturing principles such as value
stream mapping, kaizen, and 5S, among others.
Strategy& predicted that the increase in production rates by major
aircraft manufacturers will place intense pressure on every link of
the supply chain, testing suppliers that have not previously dealt with
such high demand and subsystem OEMs that have to simultaneously
produce high volumes for new product lines and continue serving
their installed base. They may become overextended, creating parts
shortages, out-of-sequence work, defects, rework, and unplanned
overtime all of which will affect delivery schedules and costs.
Approved supplier lists have been consolidated to push larger volumes of business to a smaller base of suppliers in every commodity
group in an effort to leverage the increase in business to drive prices
down, Chana said.
Now is the time to assess and make improvements to operating
models, minimize supply chain complexity, and augment tools and
systems for improved visibility. Steps should also be taken to limit
the fallout from a supply chain disruption. For instance, tier-one
and tier-two suppliers could invest in flexible increments of capacity
through partnerships with other suppliers, which would be a more
prudent approach than ramping up capacity, leaving suppliers overexposed if demand falls.
OEMs are reducing their supplier management costs by having
less suppliers on the list and working more extensively with bodies
like the International Aerospace Quality Group in communicating
their requirements through the industry standards, such as AS9100,

Chana said. Therefore, registration and maintenance audits to these

industry standards assure OEMs that their current requirements
are being met. These efforts have helped drive costs down and keep
OEMs competitive in a highly price-sensitive market.
Another trend Strategy& recognized is an incremental approach
to innovation. Recent developments in aircraft R&D have been
increasingly expensive, making it unclear if the companies will earn
enough of a return on their investments. Airframers must approach
innovation in a more disciplined and regimented way to determine
which manufacturing improvements are worth pursuing.
Some of the other trends Strategy& highlighted were more predictable maintenance cycles, aftermarket shifts, and a need for a
bifurcated market.
Demand in the aerospace industry has also grown for producers
in China, Russia, and Mexico, which, interestingly, has experienced
steady growth in the last 15 years.
According to Scott Stanley, senior vice president at North American
Production Sharing, Inc. (NAPS), a full-service administration and
compliance management firm, aerospace manufacturing has been
booming in Mexico, providing an affordable and alternative location for
aerospace manufacturing while retaining control of processes, quality,
productivity, and intellectual property. Taking advantage of Mexicos
close proximity to Canada and the United States, and with the cost of
manufacturing in China continuing to grow at an unsustainable rate,
more U.S. companies are turning to Mexico as a reliable manufacturing
location. Most recently, the aerospace industry has seen a large shift
toward manufacturing in Mexico because of its wealth of engineering
talent, improving infrastructure, and skilled, low-cost labor.
As of 2014, there were more than 21,000 people working within the
aerospace manufacturing industry in Mexico, according to Stanley.
And as the quality of labor continues to increase, Mexico is able to
accommodate some of the most intricate products, such as jet engine
sensors and carbon composite aircraft components.
The trend of international manufacturing outsourcing has flourished to enable the production of sophisticated products through the
hands of talented labor, Stanley said.
This is good news for the worldwide aerospace manufacturing
industry, and according to Chana, with passenger traffic increasing
globally each year and governments maintaining or replacing aging
military assets, the aerospace industry is expected to experience longterm growth over the next 20 years.
As demand continues to increase, supply will have to keep up,
Chana said. 2016 will see aerospace manufacturing firms busy trying to meet increases in demand with tighter deadlines in efforts to
keep up with assembly lines that are pushing out record numbers of
aircraft almost every year.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Contact Anna Claire Howard, the associate editor of Gear Solutions, at 800-366-2185 ext. 204.

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Vacuum Heat Treating

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VACUUM PROCESSING

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HOT

SEAT

RENE ALQUICER
MANAGER FOR ATMOSPHERE PRODUCTS
IPSEN USA

CONTROLS SOFTWARE IN ATMOSPHERE EQUIPMENT

When it comes to your atmosphere furnace, controls software can assist in
maintaining balance by regulating, documenting, and archiving a variety of processes.
AN ESSENTIAL PART OF PRODUCING QUALITY PARTS IS intuitive enough to make the necessary adaptations for unexpected
achieving precise control over your processes and atmosphere equip- events is certainly an advantage.
ment. As such, utilizing intuitive controls software with your equipment, such as Ipsens Carb-o-Prof system, plays an essential role in Automation
providing ease of use and reliable operations.
We are all familiar with operating errors. After all, the possibility
is always present when you add in the human element. This is why
WHAT CAPABILITIES SHOULD YOUR CONTROLS
considering controls software that possesses automation capabilities
EQUIPMENT POSSESS?
can be beneficial. With Carb-o-Prof software, only minimum input
is required from operations, thus virtually eliminating the risk of
Flexibility
operating errors. As an added bonus, this software allows the sysOn a basic level, the controls software should be capable of tem to precisely adapt to your production requirements and specific
computing and executing a wide variety of processes, as well as project parameters.
providing you with the flexibility to measure and analyze your
processes and equipment.
WHAT EXACTLY IS THE CARB-O-PROF

Cost and Time Savings

The controls software selected should also provide some means of

avoiding the unnecessary waste of parts and resources. With Ipsens
Carb-o-Prof controls software, its time- and cost-saving simulation
function and integrated C-profile optimization allows you to simulate
processes and compute materials expected carbon profile according
to the entered parameters. The profile can then be re-evaluated and
parameters can be adjusted. Stringent range-limiting controls also
identify and eliminate any errors. Overall, this gives you the ability
to review the process results for your specific load immediately after
generating the potential recipe all without having to do the actual
run or waste valuable parts, time, or resources.

Repeatable, Quality Parts

Being able to ensure that your parts emerge at a consistent, high level
of quality should also be on your list. With Carb-o-Prof software,
you can monitor the process status once you are actually running the
load. As a result, parts within the same load are consistent in both
case depth and hardness.

Intuitive

It is also important to be able to take into account what the controls

software does in the case of an unforeseen event. In situations such
as a power outage or a variation in temperature or carbon percentage,
the Carb-o-Prof software communicates with the furnaces PLC and
adapts the process to the changing circumstances, preventing the
waste of parts and resources. Knowing that your controls software is

CONTROLS SYSTEM?

The Carb-o-Prof software was specially designed by Ipsen for the

computation and execution of the complete carburizing and quenching cycles, as well as other heat treatment processes. You can take
advantage of the analysis it provides to refine and adjust the settings
and parameters of your equipment and enhance your process, thus
improving the quality of your parts.
The software provides valuable assistance with two key elements:
unplanned situations and preventing the unnecessary waste of parts
and resources. This is because the software is able to adapt the process
to changing circumstances (e.g., if the power goes out), as well as
allow you to generate a potential recipe and immediately review the
process results using the advanced simulation software.

WHAT MAKES CARB-O-PROF UNIQUE COMPARED

TO OTHER CONTROLS SYSTEMS?
The Carb-o-Prof controls software has three key features that make
it stand out from others. These features include an extensive recipe
database, an adaptive C-profile control, and a time- and cost-saving
simulation function.

Recipe and Materials Database

This database allows the user to register the most important recipe
information via a quick, simple input. Faulty inputs are prevented
by appropriately limiting the input range, thus maintaining a safe
operation and avoiding excessive consumption. As a result, recipes are
generated in an easy, consistent manner that focuses on the carburizing or hardness results and prevents input errors.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Rene Alquicer joined Ipsen in 2009 as an international sales manager for Latin America. Now, as Ipsens manager for atmosphere products,
his primary focus is the development and sale of Ipsens batch atmosphere product lines. Alquicer received his bachelors degree in mechanical engineering and his
masters degree in international business from the Universidad De Las Americas in Mexico. He spent 14 years working for international companies in varied roles,
including mechanical engineering, project management, and sales. Throughout his six years at Ipsen, Alquicers technical background has been a valuable asset
for approaching complex applications, as well as assisting a wide range of customers in finding the best product solutions for their needs. For more information,
visit www.IpsenUSA.com.

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You can also enter a virtually unlimited

number of materials and their particular
composition. The Carb-o-Prof software will
then assign them the appropriate parameters
to simulate the desired process, thus making
it possible to effectively forecast case depths
and cycle times or in other words, better
ensure the quality of your parts.

C-Profile Control

Using pre-specified target parameters, such

as surface carbon content, carburizing depth,
and/or core carbon content, Carb-o-Prof is
able to define a target carbon-content curve
in the shape of a smooth S-form. As a result,
parts within the same load are consistent in
both case depth and hardness, and this outstanding performance is consistently repeated
load after load.

Figure 1: Example of a simulated test run conducted using Carb-o-Prof software

Simulation with C-Profile Optimization to review the process results for your specific load immediately after generating the potential
Another feature of the Carb-o-Prof software is its simulation function. Essentially,
it computes materials expected carbon profile according to the entered parameters and
displays the results, both as a table and as a
straightforward graph. The profile can then
be re-evaluated and parameters adjusted, if
necessary. Overall, this gives you the ability

recipe all without having to do the actual run.

CONCLUSION
In the end, being able to maintain control of your equipment not only allows you to produce
high-quality products, but it also ultimately leads to the optimum performance of your
atmosphere equipment. By taking the time to choose the controls software that best fits your
needs, you are better equipped to obtain and replicate desired results, as well as streamline
your process, creating valuable time and cost savings.

NEW

Release
03/2015

KISSsoft Highlights

RUSSELL,
HOLBROOK &
HENDERSON, INC.

25 E Spring Valley Ave., Maywood, New Jersey 07607

P: 201-226-9000 F: 201-226-9004 E: geartools@tru-volute.com

Precision Gear Products

STOCK : HOBS : HSS & CARBIDE
STOCK : SHAPERS : Disc & Shank
STOCK : MASTER GEARS
RFQ on specials gear tools welcome
Diametral Pitch 12 and finer

CELEBRATING 100 YEARS IN BUSINESS

KISSsoft USA, LLC

3719 N. Spring Grove Road
Johnsburg, Illinois 60051
Phone (815) 363 8823
dan.kondritz@KISSsoft.com

Risk assessment of flank fracture

for cylindrical gears
Contact analysis for bevel gears
Planet carrier deformation with
FE calculation
Housing stiffness in KISSsys
Modal analysis of shaft systems
And many more ...
Get your free trial version at
www.KISSsoft.com

STOCK AVAILABLE

www.tru-volute.com
JANUARY 2016
GearSol_KISSsoft_Rel_03_2015_Highlights_92_25x123_83mm.indd 1

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COMPANY

PROFILE

Blaser Swisslube Inc.

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Blaser Swisslube has become a global technological leader with its

production of high-end Swiss-quality coolants to improve tool life
and productivity.
By Molly J. Rogers
BLASER SWISSLUBES FIRST PRODUCT IN 1936
was a shoe polish sold door-to-door at local farmhouses,
but today, the independent Swiss company is well-known
for developing high-quality metalworking and grinding
fluids. Customers all over the world use Blasers coolants
to produce a range of parts from tiny parts for watchmaking and demanding parts for the medical industry,
to huge structural elements for the aircraft industry and
mass-produced critical automotive parts.
Since its founding by Willy Blaser in Switzerland, Blaser
Swisslube has been a family-owned business, and secondgeneration Peter Blaser made the decision in 1973 to start
producing metalworking fluids for industrial machining.
This set the path for Blasers future success in the industry
as a leader in coolant technology.
Blaser is one of the first companies that brought a bioconcept product to the market. The products of Blasers
Blasocut line are 100-percent bactericide-free, therefore the
products are skin- and environmentally friendly. In 1990,

Blaser added ester oil-based products to its product line of

water-miscible coolants. The line was named Vasco after
the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama. Blaser extended
its neat-oil product line at that same time, and solutions,
especially for the gear manufacturing industry, were developed, tested, and refined.
Over the years, the company has adapted to the everchanging processing conditions, such as machine, tool,
and processing parameters, and the once-small business
has grown into a global player serving over 60 countries
all over the world. Third-generation Marc Blaser took
the helm in 2011 as CEO of now approximately 600
employees worldwide.
Blaser has been active in the U.S. for more than 30 years.
The sales office opened in 1981 followed by a production
plant in Goshen, New York the first plant outside of
Switzerland and the location of Blaser Swisslubes headquarters for North and South America.
To its customers, Blaser is proud to deliver tangible
benefits with its Liquid Tool. In close cooperation with
customers and with a holistic view of the manufacturing
process, the company strives to fully exploit the potential of
machines and tools by using the right cutting and grinding
fluid, which then becomes a Liquid Tool.
Liquid Tool means that we deliver more than just a
coolant, said Daniel Schr, head of Blasers product line
management. Blaser Swisslubes goal is to optimize its customers manufacturingprocesses with the Liquid Tool and to
improve their economic efficiency and productivity as well
as the machining quality.Excellent products, customized
services, competent experts, and our longtime experience
in the metalworking industry
back this promise.
In terms of new gear hobbing technology, Blaser offers
solutions to its customers and
addresses their challenges for
improved efficiency, increased
tool life, and reduced cycle
times. These can be accomplished with higher parameters, which cause higher
machining temperatures.
Blaser aims to improve
these points in cooperation
with our customers, Schr
said. As higher parameters
produce more heat in the
machine, we have to find the
optimal cutting fluid. With
our product range of cutting
JANUARY 2016

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fluids, we want to deliver an added value where

higher cutting parameters in combination with
lowest risk of smoke formation are achievable.
While gear hobbing operations can also
be done dry, especially for mass production,
achieving convincing results requires the latest state-of-the-art machines and tools in
addition to high cutting speeds for higher
productivity. According to Schr, the German
automotive industry is the leading segment in
dry machining.
However, Schr said that dry machining
reduces the flexibility for small- and mediumsized companies, and it is an investment
decision that may not be a viable option for
all gear manufacturers.
If you try to get the best out of your
machines and tools by adapting the machining
parameters and looking for the optimal cutting
oil, you have a great chance to increase your
output in a sustainable manner, Schr said.
Blaser also addressed considerations with
regard to technological advancements with gear
grinding, which is important for the quality of
the gears where there is a risk of overheating.
We have experienced where not every gear
grinding machine is working on its maximal

possible parameters yet, Schr said. This

looks like hidden potential to me. If it were
possible to increase the parameters, this would
lead to reduced cycle times.
Schr added that for optimal gear grinding
conditions, the optimal grinding oil adapted
to the current grinding condition is indispensable. Blaser has created optimal conditions to run generic machining tests in its
Technology Center at its headquarters in
Hasle-Regsau, Switzerland. The Technology
Center is unique in the industry and allows

Blaser to test recently developed cutting and

grinding fluids of an incredibly diverse range
of materials, as well as conduct close-to-reality
simulations of production situations.
All Blaser Swisslube customers and partners profit from the conducted studies,
Schr said. And we work on very specific
processes closely with our customers to provide our coolant solutions in target segments. In cooperation with our lead users,
we are able to identify key values at a very
early stage.

FOR MORE INFORMATION about Blaser Swisslube, go to www.blaser.com.

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Batch Furnace System Single-Chain Model

Virtual Tour
Ipsens ATLAS atmosphere furnace heat treatment
line, which is manufactured and serviced in the
USA, combines the achievements of past
atmosphere furnaces with the evolutionary
innovations of the future. Receive a close-up look
at the features, benefits and technological
advantages of this single-chain, batch atmosphere
furnace with Ipsens ATLAS Virtual Tour.
Features discussed include:
Load size of 36 x 48 x 38 (W x L x H)
Improved functionality and precision of the
quenching system TurboQuench
Call Our Sales Team

800-727-7625

Intelligent controls with predictive process

capabilities Carb-o-Prof

International: +1-815-332-2695

Ask for Rene, ext. 2695

Scan the QR code to watch the

virtual tour:

or visit
IpsenUSA.com/ATLAS-Virtual-Tour

JANUARY 2016

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32

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Prediction of Airborne Radiated

Noise from Lightly Loaded
Lubricated Meshing Gear Teeth
By Stephanos Theodossiades, Miguel De la Cruz, and Homer Rahnejat

By examining a system comprised of a single gear pair, modeled through

integrated contact tribology and inertial transient dynamics, a novel analytical
method is introduced for determination of gear airborne noise under lightly
loaded conditions.
AUTOMOTIVE TRANSMISSION GEAR NOISE HAS
received increased attention in recent years. The phenomenon
is considered as a major noise source in the automotive
industry. It is perceived as a vehicle-built quality issue and
is caused by impacts of the loose (unengaged) meshing gear
teeth pairs through their backlash. The problem is also
exacerbated by the oscillatory crankshaft vibration signal
(engine order vibrations), which has a greater poignancy with
the higher torque fluctuations of diesel engines at multiples of
engine order vibration [1, 2]. Modern downsizing philosophy
has led to compact transmissions, thus a greater tendency for
the interactions of the loose meshing gear pairs. As the result,
the engine torsional oscillations, resident on the transmission
input shaft, exacerbate the teeth pair impacts through their
lubricated conjunctions [3, 4]. The accelerative nature of
these impacts causes radiated noise, which is widely termed
as gear rattle [5].
A large volume of numerical analyses has been
reported, particularly for parallel axis gearing systems.
Most analyses consider dry contact of meshing pairs,
which is representative of highly loaded cases, where
elastohydrodynamic conditions may be reasonably
approximated by the classical Hertzian theory [6, 7]. Other
analyses have included the effect of lubricant in the contact,
which is particularly important for lightly loaded contacts,
where a hydrodynamic regime of lubrication would be
prevalent, such as in the case of idle gear rattle [1, 810].
The contact stiffness under lightly loaded hydrodynamic
conditions is well below that obtained through use of the
classical Hertzian theory. In addition, the temperature
dependence of lubricant viscosity significantly affects its
load carrying capacity, as well as its shear characteristics,
thus influencing gear dynamics [3, 9, 10].
Much attention has been paid to the estimation of
radiated noise from meshing gear pairs with the aim of
determining a threshold for the onset of unacceptable
gear rattle. These have been mostly experimental, often
involving determination of coefficients of restitution
to describe the effect of lubricant damping through
its squeeze film motion [11], as well as any hysteretic
elastic deformation of the impacting solid surfaces.
Using a torsional vibration model, gear rattle noise was
calculated for a 5-speed gearbox, employing the main

NOMENCLATURE
C

clearance in gear wheel bore-retaining shaft

conjunction (m)

Cb

half normal teeth pair backlash (m)

squeeze film velocity (m/s)

instantaneous contact length of the meshing teeth (m)

l1

contact length in the gear wheelshaft conjunction (m)

uent speed of entraining motion of lubricant in the meshing

pairs (m/s)
v

speed of entraining motion in the wheelshaft

conjunction (m/s)

aeq equivalent radius of curvature of the meshing teeth pair

(m)
an

normal pressure angle (rad)

ho

lubricant atmospheric dynamic viscosity (Pa s)

design parameters and use of various empirical formulae

[12]. Following an optimization study, the gear noise
was shown to be reduced by 14 percent. The influence
of different parameters on lubrication conditions and
structure-borne noise of gear transmissions was also
studied by Fietkau and Bertsche [13]. This enabled direct
determination of structure-borne noise for the rattling
loose gear pairs, as well as for the loaded gear pairs. The
findings were validated experimentally.
Radiated structure-borne noise from a gearbox was
calculated using three-dimensional Finite Element Analysis
(FEA) of the structure, combined with the Rayleigh integral
method [14]. A simplified gearbox, excited internally by
the gear teeth meshing stiffness was used, where the vibroacoustic coupling between the elastic housing, the air-cavity
and the free acoustic field was considered. Mucchi et al.
[15] presented a method for determination of noise and
vibration analysis of gear pumps, comprising a combination
of numerical analysis and experimental measurements. The
numerical method included lumped parameters, integrated
with FEA and Boundary Element Method (BEM). The
lumped parameter model comprised loaded bearings and
gears, while the FEA was used for the casing and plates. The
use of BEM resulted in the prediction of the emitted noise
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levels. The experimental measurements included inertial acceleration

and acoustic pressure, which were verified through simulation results.
A model relating the acceleration response of chain drive components
(sprocket teeth against chain rollers) to the generated sound was
developed using finite element techniques and numerical schemes
by Zheng et al. [16]. Sound pressure levels at different locations
on a virtual cylindrical surface around the chain were evaluated
and validated against experimental measurements, showing good
agreement. The work was based, to a large extent, on that reported
by Yufang et al. [17], where the radiated sound from the impact of
two rigid cylinders was calculated through use of Hertzian impact
theory and verified experimentally.
In this paper, an analytical method to predict the airborne
radiated noise from the meshing gear teeth under light loads is
presented. The method is based on rigid body dynamics, coupled
with hydrodynamic lubricated contacts, as well as far field sound
pressure calculations. This analytical approach has not hitherto been
reported in literature. In the following sections, the methodology for
sound radiation predictions is presented initially, as well as a flowchart
for the numerical calculations. The experimental configuration is
then described, followed by analytical results and discussion. The
numerical predictions show good agreement with the experimental
measurements obtained from a single stage gearbox.
Shaft

Lubricant

ross

Gear

Ff

Fw

hh
Fw
Lubricant between the
gear teeth surfaces

rrcw
w

outer contacting radius of the output gear wheel retaining shaft. For
the lightly loaded meshing of loose gear pairs, flank friction is quite
insignificant and may be neglected in the analysis [8]. The tooth
hydrodynamic contact force is given by [4, 18]:
Equation 2

Equation 2 provides the lubricant reaction under assumed isoviscous rigid hydrodynamic regime of lubrication, where the term
is the squeeze film contribution. When < 0, the meshing surfaces
converge, leading to increased load carrying capacity. Conversely, when
0 pure rolling and sliding motion occurs or the mating surfaces
separate, thus there is no squeeze film effect [19]. The hydrodynamic
film thickness under iso-viscous rigid condition is given by:
Equation 3

The linear bearing friction in the conforming contact of the loose

gear wheel bore and its retaining supporting shaft (the gearbox output
shaft) conjunction is described by Petrov friction with null Petrov
multiplier for an assumed eccentricity ratio of unity (as the film
thickness in this conjunction is very thin), thus [19]:
Equation 4

Fp

Fw
rrcp
p

Pinion

Figure 1: The gear pair model

METHODOLOGY

More details regarding Equations 2-4 are provided in references

[3, 18, 19]. A brief description of the main variables can be found
in the nomenclature.
For the calculation of airborne noise from the meshing gear teeth
pairs, lightly loaded impact of an equivalent pair of rigid cylinders
is assumed [17]. This assumption is based on the gear teeth shape
(spur gears in this case), where the length of the contact line is time
invariant (being equal to the flank width of the teeth). The contacting
teeth pairs (cylinders) of the pinion and gear may be represented
instantaneously by an ellipsoidal solid with equivalent radius of
contact, impacting a semi-infinite elastic half-space [8]. The mass of
that equivalent cylinder is obtained as:
Equation 5

The gear pair system studied is shown schematically in Figure 1. The

entire physical assembly is depicted in Figure 3. The input pinion shaft
is driven by an electric motor. The gear wheel is mounted onto a shaft
and is resisted through generated friction at the supporting bearings.
The spur gear pair is modeled by a single degree of freedom rotational
inertia (gear wheel) with the pinions motion known a priori. (This is
a kinematic non-holonomic constraint; see Results and Discussion
section.) The remaining 5 degrees of freedom of the gear wheel are
constrained because the associated motions are deemed negligible due
to the light loads transmitted. The equation of motion for the gear
wheel (Figure 1) is obtained as:

where l is the flank width, r is the material density of the ellipsoidal

solid and aeq is its equivalent radius; subscripts p and g stand for the
pinion and gear, respectively.
The duration of a complete impact event is used to define the
critical contact time tc employed in this study. In the case of dry
impacts between two cylinders (i.e., in the absence of a lubricant
film), this is obtained through using the Hertzian impact time. In
the examined case of the lubricated teeth, however, there is no clear
separation of the teeth surfaces, since there is always a thin layer of
lubricant present. Therefore, this should be set equal to the period
of the meshing frequency wc. This enables the capture of any fast
Equation 1 occurring transient dynamics of the impacting pairs. Thus, in contrast
to the previously employed approach for the case of a single impact
where Ig is the gear wheel inertia with jg being the corresponding between cylinders [17], it is assumed that the lubricated teeth are
rotational degree of freedom. Fw is the meshing teeth contact force. always operating within the critical contact time limit. Thus:
rbg is the gear base radius; Ff is the flank friction with rf being its
moment arm. Fp is the bearing generated friction while rs is the
Equation 6
34

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where ri indicates the distance between the center of the tooth

(cylinder) and the far sound field location where the ensuing noise
level is to be determined. ai is the radius of each cylinder (contact
radius of the pinion and gear) while c is the sound speed in the air.
Therefore, the sound pressure in the far sound field can be
expressed analytically as [17]:
Equation 7

Details regarding coefficients A, B, D, E, and F are provided

in the Appendix A. The variables a, r, and q contained in those
coefficients take their corresponding values for the pinion and gear.
r0 is the density of air and am is the instantaneous acceleration of
each impacting cylinder, which is calculated as:

Calculation of teeth contact/impact and Petrov friction forces

(Equations 2 and 4).
Solution of the equation of motion (Equation 1) through step-bystep integration algorithm, using Newmarks linear acceleration
scheme, detailed in reference [18].
Calculation of t', using Equation 6.
Calculation of the equivalent mass and the resulting acceleration,
using Equations 5 and 8.
Determination of sound pressure radiation from each impact site
at the far sound field, using Equations 7 and 9.
Evaluation of radiated sound pressure from all the gear teeth pairs
in simultaneous contact/impact.
Transformation of the sound pressure levels in dB units (Equation 10).

EXPERIMENTAL SETUP

A purpose built experimental rig is presented with a standard spur gear

pair configuration, assembled in a semi-anechoic chamber, as shown
in Figure 3. The gear pair is run under lightly loaded (unloaded)
The total sound pressure radiated from two impacting teeth condition, where the only resisting loads are due to friction generated
(cylinders) I and II at any arbitrary point (distance r from the impact in the linear bearing supports. The input torque is measured using
site) is given by reference [17]:
a torque transducer. The input and output gearbox shafts velocities
are monitored using dual beam laser vibrometers (Table 1 provides
Equation 9 hardware details).
Equation 8

where the parameters rI , rII , JI, and JII are shown in Figure 2. In
the problem examined, subscripts I and II stand for the pinion and
gear teeth, respectively. Thus, the radiated noise contribution from
each tooth is determined.
The overall radiated noise levels can be calculated as (for more
than one pair of teeth in simultaneous contact):
Equation 10

where the subscripts 1, 2, . . . N indicate the teeth pairs in simultaneous

meshing action with pref = 20 mPa.

Item

Description

Torque transducer

Sensor Technology, 010 N m range,

0.1 N m

Laser vibrometer

Two-beam Polytec torsional

vibrometer

Accelerometer

B&K uni-axial, piezo electric

Microphone

B&K free field, pre-polarized

condenser microphone

Pinion pitch radius

30 mm

Gear pitch radius

60 mm

Pinion number of teeth

20

Gear number of teeth

40

Inertia of gear wheel and shaft

0.0051 kg m2

Table 1: Experimental equipment and gear parameters

rI

rII

II

Figure 2: System of reference for noise radiation for a pair of impacting

equivalent cylinders

NUMERICAL IMPLEMENTATION AND PROGRAMMING

The procedure for the numerical calculations comprises:
Calculation of gear geometric data: number of teeth pairs in
simultaneous contact, radii of teeth contact and the speed of
entraining motion of the lubricant into the rolling, sliding and
normally approaching and departing meshing teeth pairs.
Estimation of lubricant film thickness using Equation 3.

Figure 3: Experimental assembly

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The driving torque is introduced into the system by a small

electric motor. The nominal and fluctuating speed components
are controlled through a signal generator, capable of producing
a fixed voltage offset (nominal speed DC component) and a
superimposed fluctuating sinusoidal component (representing
engine order vibrations encountered in vehicular transmissions).
In this manner, a simple voltage signal with a clear alternating
component can be used to produce the desired operating input
speed for the experiment. The AC component of up to 18 Hz can
be applied under the setup condition. In practical terms, the setup
represents the second engine order vibration (twice the crankshaft
speed) of a 4-stroke 4-cylinder engine, operating with the idle
speed of approximately 800 rpm (13 Hz), which is representative
of modern small size engines. The maximum nominal operating
speed of the motor is 2700 rpm, which also falls within the
required operating conditions.
The data-logging software was developed in the Labview
environment, enabling simultaneous acquisition of the input torque,
rotational speeds of the input and output shafts and the employed
accelerometer and microphone readings. This is similar to the
software, data acquisition, and monitoring of larger powertrain rigs

presented in De la Cruz et al. [9]. The experimental setup is used

for simultaneous air- and structure-borne noise measurements, thus
allowing for direct comparisons between the experimentally obtained
values and those predicted through numerical analysis.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Two nominal operating speeds are employed in the study: 675 and
1320 rpm. These span the idle and low speed, low gear creep (partially
loaded) rattle conditions in small b-class modern vehicles. In both
cases, the influence of harmonic excitations residing on the input
gearbox shaft is also considered, as such oscillations have shown to
adversely affect the propensity to rattle [1, 3-5]. In this manner, gear
vibration conditions of low and high severity can be studied in more
detail. Table 2 presents the employed tests conditions.

Figure 6: Comparison of numerical and experimental output speed time

histories for test no. 4
Figure 4: Measured input speed time history

Figure 7: Spectrum of the numerical output speed (test no. 4)

Figure 5: Comparison of numerical and experimental input torque time

histories for test no. 1

36

Figure 8: Spectrum of the experimental output speed (test no. 4)

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Test no.

Nominal speed (rpm)

Speed variation

675

None

675

13 Hz

1320

None

1320

13 Hz

Table 2: Experimental rigs operating conditions

Figure 4 shows typical time histories of the input conditions used.

These velocity time histories were experimentally obtained, using a
dual beam laser vibrometer (as previously described). It can be noted
that tests no. 1 and 2 show clearly distinct behaviors, characterized
by the imposition of 13 Hz oscillations in test no. 2. It is also noted
that the same test exhibits a slightly higher nominal speed than
the targeted 675 rpm. This is because of the experimental control
mechanism and is not expected to cause significant variations in the
physics of the examined system.
Figure 5 presents the experimentally measured torque time history at
the location of the input shaft and its numerical equivalent, predicted
by the gear pair dynamic model. The inputs to the model are the
angular displacement and velocity of the pinion. The generated contact

reactions and the resisting torque are calculated using Equations 1 and
2 in an iterative manner. The comparison made in Figure 5 depicts
the degree of conformity of the numerical predictions with the actual
measured torque using the experimental rig. The mean torque values
obtained from the plots are given as 0.129 Nm for the numerical
predictions and 0.103 Nm from the experiment. The higher predicted
torque spikes may be as the result of instances where the assumed isoviscous conditions embodied in Equation 2 are momentarily breached
(i.e., piezo-viscous hydrodynamics encountered). This can occur with
the approaching meshing teeth flanks resulting in thinner lubricant
films, which may be sustained under iso-viscous conditions. This
hypothesis is further discussed when the sound pressure levels are
investigated later.
Figure 6 shows the numerical and experimental output speed
time histories of the loose gear wheel for test no. 4. These results
are discussed in conjunction with those of Figures 7 and 8. The
first point to observe is the magnitude of the measured output
values in comparison with those of numerical predictions, which are
consistently higher than those measured. This can be related to the
slightly higher values of the input torque (Figure 5). Nevertheless,
these differences are within 2-3 percent and may be as the result

Figure 9: Comparison of numerical (a and c) and experimental (b and d) FFT spectra of the sound pressure level time histories for tests no. 1 (a and b) and 2 (c and d)

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Figure 10: Comparison of oil film thickness

fluctuations for tests no. 1 and 2

Time (s)

Time (s)

of an assumed kinematic input condition to the numerical model,

whereas in reality the input oscillatory behavior has a transient
dynamic nature.
Figures 7 and 8 show the predicted and measured vibration spectra
of the gear wheel speed. In this case, the Fast Fourier Transform
(FFT) quantity employed is the Power Spectral Density Time Integral
Square Amplitude (PSD TISA). It is given by:

observed in both cases (the meshing frequency and its harmonics, the
forcing frequency and the mains frequency in the case of the model),
which is an evidence for the robustness of the employed method.
In order to directly compare the outcome of the numerical model
with the experimental measurements, the Equivalent Sound Pressure
Level values are calculated for the four examined tests as:
Equation 12

Equation 11

where nsize stands for the data set size, Re for the real part of the
FFT, Im for the imaginary part of the FFT and Dt for the sampling
interval (time step).
The main spectral contribution frequency is at the imposed forcing
frequency of the gearbox input shaft, transmitted through impact of
the resident pinion with the gear wheel. This is at 13-14 Hz, which is
superimposed by the frequency generator. The fact that no other major
contributions are found is a sign of the model robustness, indicating
that the physics of the system are adequately captured. In this particular
case, the meshing frequency contributes little because of improper
meshing at low transmitted forces and repetitive impacts. This is the
typical conditions encountered in vehicular transmission rattle [3-5].
The radiated airborne sound as the result of the repetitive
impacts can now be obtained and comparisons made between the
numerical predictions and experimental measurements. Furthermore,
comparison can be made between low and high levels of vibration,
i.e., test no. 1 against test no. 2 or test no. 3 against test no. 4.
Figure 9 presents (indicative) FFT spectra of the numerical and
experimental radiated sound pressure time histories for tests no. 1 and
2. Although it can be observed that the experimental results contain
significant noise, they exhibit the main expected phenomena (similar to
those in the numerical results). The numerical results for test no. 1 (Figure
9a) show the gear teeth meshing frequency (at around 226 Hz), as well
as its second harmonic around 453 Hz. The lower frequency observed
(49 Hz) is the mains supply frequency. This is unavoidably present in
the input shaft rotational speed captured by the laser vibrometer (this is
used as an input to the model, thus the presence of the mains frequency).
The meshing frequency as well as its second harmonic are evident in the
experimental measurements, contaminated by heavy modulations due
to the speed of the shafts (Figure 9b). When the forcing frequency of
13-14 Hz is introduced in the input shaft signal (test no. 2, Figure 9c
and d), this is evident in both the numerical and experimental spectra.
The model predicts better (intense) teeth meshing conditions compared
with the experiment, as is indicated by the energy carried by the forcing
frequency in both cases. However, the same fundamental frequencies are
38

Test no.

Equivalent Sound
Pressure Level Experiment

60.8401

61.7095

62.9503

66.7795

Equivalent Sound
Pressure Level Model

62.0888

62.883

65.8004

66.2908

Table 3: Equivalent Sound Pressure Level values (Leq ) in dB

The Leq values are presented in Table 3. As a general trend, it can

be seen that the numerical model over-estimates the Leq values as a
consequence of the severe meshing gear teeth impacts. This is in line
with the previously stated remarks concerning the higher torques noted
in the numerical results, which yield higher impact velocities and thus
greater impact energies. Thus, higher sound levels are predicted than
measured. It can also be noted that for tests no. 1 and 3, the difference
between the numerical and experimental results is slightly larger
compared with the other two tests (as highlighted in the Leq values in
Table 3). It seems that once the sinusoidal harmonic is introduced in the
input signal, the numerical model does not exhibit as large a difference
in the level of output vibration as that observed experimentally.
Nevertheless, the overall predictions and trends conform well with the
measurements with small percentage deviations.
An advantage of numerical analysis is in evaluating performance
measures that are otherwise difficult to estimate using an experimental
rig, such as lubricant film thickness in teeth pair conjunctions. This
is important in terms of potential wear and fatigue issues. Figure 10
presents the lubricant film thickness for tests no. 1 and 2. Test no. 2
corresponds to a high impulsive vibration case with imposed harmonic
input signal. One would expect a greater extent of variation in the
film thickness under such conditions [9]. However, double-sided
impacts (as an indication of severe conditions) are not encountered
between the impacting teeth pairs, as the backlash limit is just
breached as shown in the figure. Therefore, establishing the degree
of severity of gear impacts and sound emission becomes difficult,
when compared with the film thickness time history of non-impulsive
conditions of test no. 1 (with no harmonic input component). Both
time history plots appear to be quite similar, in terms of magnitude

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Figure 11: FFT spectra of the gear wheels torsional acceleration for tests no. 1 and 2

Frequency (Hz)

and frequency content. This shows that the

film thickness variation alone is insufficient
to ascertain the level of ensuing vibration.
The reason for this is the low damping of
lubricant film, particularly when very thin
films are encountered. Dareing and Johnson
[20] demonstrated this characteristic of
thin lubricant films in experiments with
contacting wavy surfaced discs. Mehdigoli
et al. [21] carried out detailed numerical
analysis of the same case as that of Dareing
and Johnson [20] and found lubricant film
damping is minimal with a decreasing film
thickness and increasing contact force,
yielding elastohydrodynamic regime of
lubrication. Therefore, it is necessary to study
the accelerative motion of the gear wheel,
which is a faster changing output signal.
Figure 11 presents the FFT spectra of the
acceleration time history for tests no. 1 (nonimpulsive) and no. 2 (impulsive). It can be
seen that in the case of the former, there are
spectral contributions at the first and second
harmonics of the teeth meshing frequency
(227 Hz). This is a characteristic response of
orderly meshing. The contribution at 52 Hz is
the mains contribution, captured by the input
velocity measurement. In the FFT spectrum
of test no. 2, the forcing frequency at 13
Hz is evident, while the contribution at the
meshing frequency is clearly reduced, with
the second harmonic almost imperceptible.
This is indicative of improper meshing
caused by an impulsive input. Therefore, a
good measure of severity of radiated noise
is the interruption of orderly meshing as
perceived by reduced spectral dominance of
the meshing frequency and its harmonics.
This conclusion is in line with the findings
presented in reference [9].

Frequency (Hz)

1.800.569.1420

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CONCLUSION
An analytical methodology to predict gear teeth
airborne sound pressure levels is presented. A
comparison between the numerical predictions

McInnesRolledRings.com/ExpectMore
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and experimental measurements for a single

stage gear pair exhibit similar qualitative trends
in the frequency domain and quantitatively
by calculating the Equivalent Sound Pressure
Levels. It is shown clearly that the presence
of harmonics in the input shaft speed induce
higher gear noise emissions. Furthermore,
the analysis proves the hypothesis that an
orderly meshing pairs vibration spectrum is
dominated by their meshing frequency and
its harmonics and result in lower gear noise
levels. The analytical predictive tool can be
used by design and development engineers for
rapid prediction of gear noise of multi-speed
transmissions for a variety of applications at
the conceptual design stage.

REFERENCES
1. Russo R., Brancati R., Rocca E.
Experimental investigations about the
influence of oil lubricant between teeth
on the gear rattle phenomenon. J Sound
Vib 2009; 321:64761.
2. Lu J.W., Chen H., Zeng F., Vakakis A.,
Bergman L. Influence of system parameters
on dynamic behavior of gear pair with
stochastic backlash. Meccanica http://
dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11012-013-9803.
3. Theodossiades S., Tangasawi O., Rahnejat
H. Gear teeth impacts in hydrodynamic
conjunctions promoting idle gear rattle. J
Sound Vib 2007; 303(35):63258.
4. Tangasawi O., Theodossiades S.,
Rahnejat H. Lightly loaded lubricated
impacts: idle gear rattle. J Sound Vib
2007; 308(35):41830.
5. Dogan S.N., Ryborz J., Bertsche B.
Design of low noise manual automotive
transmission. Proc Inst Mech Eng, Part K:
J Multi-Body Dynam 2006; 220:7995.
6. Chen Z., Shao Y.M., Lim T.C. Non-linear
dynamic simulation of gear response under
the idling condition. Int J Automot Technol
2012; 13(4):54152.
7. Ottewill J.R., Neild S.A., Wilson R.E. An
investigation into the effect of tooth profile
errors on gear rattle. J Sound Vib 2010;
329:3495506.
8. De la Cruz M., Theodossiades S., Rahnejat
H. An investigation of manual transmission
rattle. Proc Inst Mech Eng, Part K: J MultiBody Dynam 2010; 224:16781.
9. De la Cruz M., Theodossiades S., King
P., Rahnejat H. Transmission drive rattle
with thermo-elastohydrodynamic impacts:
numerical and experimental investigations.

Int J Powertrains 2011; 1(2):13761.

10. Tangasawi O., Theodossiades S., Rahnejat
H., Kelly P. Non-linear vibro-impact
phenomenon belying transmission idle
rattle. Proc Inst Mech Eng, Part C: J Mech
Eng Sci 2008; 222(10):190923.
11. Kadmiri Y., Rigaud E., Perret-Liaudet
J., Vary L. Experimental and numerical
analysis of automotive gearbox rattle noise.
J Sound Vib 2012; 331(13):314457.
12. Bozca M., Fietkau P. Empirical model
based optimization of gearbox geometric
design parameters to reduce rattle noise in
an automotive transmission. Mech Mach
Theory 2010; 45(11):1599612.
13. Fietkau P., Bertsche B. Influence of
tribological and geometrical parameters
on lubrication conditions and noise of
gear transmissions. Mech Mach Theory
2013; 69.
14. Abbes M.S., Bouaziz S., Chaari F., Maatar
M., Haddar M. An acousticstructural
interaction modelling for the evaluation
of a gearbox-radiated noise. Int J Mech Sci
2008; 50:56977.
15. Mucchi E., Rivola A., Dalpiaz G. Modelling
dynamic behaviour and noise generation in
gear pumps: procedure and validation. Appl
Acoust 2014; 77:99111.
16. Zheng H., Wang Y.Y., Liu G.R., Lam K.Y.,
Quek K.P., Ito T., et al. Efficient modelling
and prediction of meshing noise from chain
drives. J Sound Vib 2001; 245:13350.
17. Yufang W., Zhongfang T. Sound radiated
from the impact of two cylinders. J Sound
Vib 1992; 159:295303.
18. Rahnejat H. Computational modelling of
problems in contact dynamics. Eng Anal
1985; 2(4):1927.
19. Gohar R., Rahnejat H. Fundamentals
of tribology. London: Imperial College
Press; 2008.
20. Dareing D.W., Johnson K.L. Fluid film
damping of rolling contact vibrations. Proc
Inst Mech Eng, J Mech Eng Sci 1975;
17(4):2148.
21. Mehdigoli M., Rahnejat H., Gohar R.
Vibration response of wavy surfaced disc in
elastohydrodynamic rolling contact. Wear
1990; 139(1):115.

EP/D050332/1, Ford Motor Company for

sponsorship of the research funded under
their University Research Program (URP)
and the Technology Strategy Board (TSB) and
Romax Technology Ltd for the Knowledge
Transfer Partnership Scheme 001293. The
authors would also like to thank Dr. Stephen
Walsh for the useful discussions related to the
acoustics part of our work.
This is an open access article published
by Elsevier under the Creative Commons
Attribution license (CC by 4.0)
creativecommons.org /licenses/by/4.0.
Theodossiades, S., De La Cruz, M. and
Rahnejat, H., 2015. Prediction of airborne
radiated noise from lightly loaded lubricated
meshing gear teeth. Applied Acoustics,
100 (December), pp. 7986. Available at:
doi:10.1016/j.apacoust.2015.06.014.

APPENDIX A

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors would like to acknowledge
the support of Engineering and Physical
Sciences Research Council for funding of
the Automotive Transmission Rattle Project

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Stephanos Theodossiades is a professor of non-linear dynamics at the Dynamics Research Group at Wolfson School of Mechanical and
Manufacturing Engineering at Loughborough University, United Kingdom. For more information, go to www.lboro.ac.uk or email S.Theodossiades@lboro.ac.uk.

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Modular
Drawer
System

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Developing a Lighter, Stronger,

and Cleaner Air-Melt Steel for
Critical Applications
By Patrik lund

To meet todays demands for exceptional fatigue strength and tolerance to

complex loads, a range of isotropic steels called IQ-Steel was developed by
applying the IQ process, which establishes metallurgical and measurement
techniques to determine the true distribution of inclusions in clean steel.
STEEL COMPONENTS, PARTICULARLY THOSE USED
in critical applications such as bearings and fuel injection
systems, are increasingly expected to be lighter, stronger,
and capable of handling more power at higher temperatures, while loads are complex and rarely straightforward.
For example, the wheel bearings on a high-speed
express train or the rotor of a giant wind turbine must
withstand massive and complex loads. The diesel fuel
injector in a modern engine must continue to perform
reliably for billions of cycles under high pressures driven
by the quest for fuel economy.
In addition to demands for a steel with excellent
mechanical and fatigue strength in all loading directions, weight is an increasingly important factor in
these critical applications. And with fatigue accounting for around 90 percent of all mechanical service
failures, the potential benefits of delivering a steel that
can handle these ever-complex demands economically
are considerable.
Set against this background, Ovako has not only
produced a range of isotropic steels that meet todays
challenges and can compete with costly re-melt steels,
but it has also developed metallurgical and measurement
techniques that will enable it to respond into the future.

Ovakos isotropic steels are already producing dramatic

results for its customers as well as for the environment.
The application of isotropic steels to diesel fuel injection
systems in cars, commercial vehicles, and ships has enabled
manufacturers to reduce fuel consumption by 1 liter/100
km for cars alone, thats a reduction in CO2 emissions
of over 80 million tons in the past 10 years. The technology
also has a more direct environmental impact by reducing
the need for carbon-intensive re-melting processes.

INCLUSIONS AND FATIGUE LIMITS

Given that Ovako could develop a steel with the right
mechanical properties, any fatigue failure was most likely
to be initiated by non-metallic inclusions in the steel. In
theory, a cleaner steel with fewer inclusions should have
a higher fatigue strength.
Here, it is important to establish the relationship between
steel hardness, inclusion size, and the stress limits.
While it is well-established that the intrinsic fatigue
limit of a steel increases with its strength or hardness by
a factor of approximately 1.6, it is also true that, as the
strength of the steel increases, the obtained fatigue limit is
increasingly lower than the intrinsic limit. This is caused
by defects such as inclusions acting as stress raisers and
promoting fatigue crack initiation (see Figure 1).

Local stress at inclusion [MPa]

Fatigue limit [MPa]

1000

800

600

400

Intrinsic fatigue limit

1200

1200

1000
800
600
400
200
0

20

40

60

80

100

Critical defect size [m]

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

Hardness [HV30]

Figure 1: Fatigue limit defined as 107 cycles on rotating bending

fatigue samples versus hardness

900
Oxide

Carbide

Ti(C,N)

Figure 2: Expected applied stress that will cause a fatigue failure

versus the critical defect size (equivalent circular diameter)

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Ovako carried out rotating beam fatigue tests that clearly showed
how higher strength steels are more affected by the presence of inclusions (see Figure 2).
But the data also showed that, by reducing the size of inclusions
below 6 m, higher strength steels had the potential to achieve an
obtained fatigue limit very close to the steels intrinsic fatigue limit.
Another important factor is the loading direction. Steel is normally
anisotropic, and so its fatigue strength will depend on the load axis.
This is exaggerated by the rolling process, which either crushes or
elongates inclusions in the direction of rolling. As shown in Figure 3,
a large volume loaded transversely to the rolling direction is much
more likely to fail as the elongated inclusions have a far greater influence on the fatigue limit.
Transverse

Small
volume

Large volume

Longitudinal

Figure 3: Influence of the loading direction and volume on the maximum projected
area of an inclusion in the loaded volume

For example, a standard, high sulphur 50CrMo4 steel, loaded in

the direction of rolling, has a 5-percent failure rate at a stress of 800
MPa, reaching 50-percent failure (fatigue limit) with a stress of 1300
MPa. When the loading is transverse to the rolling direction, 5 percent
will fail at a stress of 200 MPa and failure will occur at just 350 MPa.

INCLUSION QUANTIFICATION METHODS

Ultra clean, low-alloy steels have been available for some years now,
produced using re-melting processes that are not only capital-intensive
and costly to operate, but also tough on the environment. But, in
some applications where there is constant pressure to reduce the
weight and size of components without sacrificing their strength, it
has been the only option.

Ovako knew that advances in ladle metallurgy with precise control

of all the processes including de-oxidation, vacuum treatment, and
teeming meant that air-melt steels could potentially equal the performance of re-melted steels. But while this technology had advanced,
test procedures had not kept pace.
Methods for determining the oxygen content of steel were wellestablished with good progress over the past 46 years (see Figure 4),
but the same was not true for non-metallic inclusions, which also
have a significant impact on the fatigue strength of steel.
There are two types of non-metallic inclusions. Those formed by
the physical-chemical effects that occur during the melt and solidification are called endogenous inclusions. They can be formed, for
example, as a result of the process to obtain the correct levels of oxygen
and sulphur in the steel or through reoxidation. Inclusions that result
from parts of the slag, refractories, teeming powder, or sand from a
casting mould are known as exogenous inclusions.
Historically, inclusions below 100 m were classed as micro
inclusions while everything larger was classed as a macro inclusion.
However, modern clean steels have very few inclusions above 25 m,
and the size of the assessed area in standard ASTM and DIN tests
using optical methods was too small to provide any statistical confidence. The result was that a clean steel producer invariably generated
only zero ratings.
Ovako recognized the need for new rating techniques that would
determine the true distribution of inclusions in clean steel.
Micro inclusions: endogenous inclusions that are normally rated
with LOM and SEM techniques.
Macro inclusions: created from exogenous material entrapped in
the steel. The number of macro inclusions in modern clean steel is
very low, and the probability of finding one using traditional blue
fracture techniques is almost zero; consequently, these inclusions
are treated as stochastic events. Ultrasonic techniques are used to
test for macro inclusions with, preferably, 100 percent of delivered
material being tested.
It was clear that the optical microscopy techniques used for the
ASTM and DIN ratings were not showing the true distribution of
inclusions in clean steels. The fundamental problem was that the
area being assessed under these regimes was too small, and, as shown
in Figure 5, average annual ratings have shown little improvement
over the past decade.
B-type micro inclusions in carburizing steel
Annual average

Total oxygen content, ppm

25

2.5

100Cr6
ASTM E45A rating

20
15
10
5

2
1.5
1
0.5
0
1999

2001

2003

2005

2007

Year

1960

1970

1980

1990

2000

Year

Figure 4: Oxygen content with standard deviation in through-hardening

ball bearing steel

44

2010
Bth

Bhe

Bth limit A534-94

Bhe limit A534-94

Figure 5: Annual average of B-type micro inclusions in carburizing steel produced by

Ovako the ratings are compared with the limits in ASTM A534-94

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New quantification methods that could accurately reflect the true inclusion content in clean
By combining all three quantification
steel were needed to improve steel quality and be able to predict the products final performance. methods, Ovako was able to refine its production processes for producing new, cleaner
OPTICAL MICROSCOPY
steels (see Figure 7).
This technique is only suitable for qualifying inclusions between 2 m and 15 m and is
SEM
80 MHZ 50 MHz
25 MHz 10 Mhz
limited to very small sample sizes, although Weibull statistics can be used to transform the
10
result from multiple samples. Optical microscopy (LOM) does not provide any data on the
chemical composition of inclusions.
10
In order to obtain richer data on larger sample sizes, Ovako combined LOM with scanning
10
electron microscopy (SEM) and immersive ultrasound testing (UST).
0

Probability

-5

SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY

In contrast to LOM, scanning electron microscopy is capable of assessing large areas and
recording rich data on inclusion chemistry, morphology, and size. The chemistry of inclusions is vital for process development as is the morphology and size for product development.
This quantification method is used for inclusions between 2 m and 25 m (see Figure 6).

-10

10-15

10-20

10-25

20
LOM

40

60

80

100

120

Equivalent diameter in micron

Figure 7: Using multiple methods, a reliable rating of

inclusions can be obtained

LADLE METALLURGY

Defined classes:
Class
Oxides
Oxy Sulphides
Sulphides
TiC/N

Features
1057
938
496
209

Figure 6: Examples of scanning electron microscope output

IMMERSIVE ULTRASONIC TESTING

Ultrasound testing methods now being used by Ovako to test for inclusions larger than 25 m
have produced impressive results. To test for inclusions above 120 m, a single sample of 500,000
mm3 steel, milled plane parallel, and immersed in a water tank is scanned with a 10 MHz
probe. This is the equivalent of 16,000 blue fracture tests. By using an 80 MHz probe, the
sample size is reduced to 450 mm3 but inclusions down to 25 m can be assessed. A comparison of the traditional methods with Ovakos ultrasonic techniques is shown in Tables 1 and 2.
ISO 3763 Blue Fracture

ASTM E45

Feature detected

Macro inclusions
Length > 1.0 mm

Micro inclusions
Diameter > 2 m

Amount of material investigated

3,000 mm2

450 mm2

Coverage

Area

Area

Table 1: Detection limit and amount of tested material using ISO 3763 blue fracture method and ASTM E45

Ovakos ability not only to quantify the inclusion population in clean steel but also to
understand its chemistry and morphology
enabled them to develop new production
processes that would transform the production of clean, low-alloy steels. Using data
obtained from the new quantification methods, their research showed that by minimizing the volume of inclusions and ensuring
that any remaining were distributed evenly
and were less than 6 m in diameter, the
new steel would be more than a match for
re-melted steels.
The aim was to have precise control of the
new production process at all stages to reduce
oxygen content to a minimum. The process
starts with careful selection of scrap and
raw materials and the use of key technologies including magnetic induction stirring;
increased desulphurization (down to 20 ppm);
increased degassing time; protected teeming
using argon shrouding during ingot casting
to avoid reoxidation; precise monitoring of
soaking time to improve homogenization;
and increased crop-off mass in billet production to reduce segregation and minimize the
number of macro inclusions.

Ovako 10 MHz UST

Ovako 80 MHz UST

IQ-STEEL

Minimum feature
detected

Macro inclusions
FBH > 0.120 mm

Micro inclusions
FBH > 25 m

Amount of material investigated

1,500,000 mm3
(50,000 blue fracture tests)

450 mm3
(300 E45 samples)

Coverage

Volume

Volume

The result is IQ-Steel a range of isotropic, clean steels in which remaining inclusions are not removed, but moved to a finer
distribution. This is shown clearly in the
micrographs in Figures 8 and 9. Both show
sections in the rolling (longitudinal) direction. The number of elongated inclusions is
drastically reduced when the IQ process is
applied. Figure 10 shows how average inclusion lengths compare between a standard
steel and IQ-Steel.

Table 2: Detection limit and amount of tested material using Ovako 10 MHz UST and Ovako 80 MHz UST

In Table 2, the corresponding number of blue fracture and ASTM E45 samples have been
estimated by translating volume into areas assuming a 0.01-mm-thick layer is assessed. The
results from 10 MHz UST testing are expressed as the number of defects per volume unit
exceeding a certain flat bottom hole (FBH) equivalent. The 80 MHz testing is evaluated by
plotting the accumulated number of defects versus defect size.

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Figure 8: Standard processed steel, longitudinal section

Figure 9: IQ processed steel, longitudinal section

10

Longitudinal
Transverse

0.125
0.10
0.075
0.05
0.025

Accumulated No/mm3

Total inclusion length per mm2

0.15

0.1

0.01

0.001

0
Standard steel

ESR
Ovako standard
Ovako IQ

Ovako IQ

20

Figure 10: Comparison of inclusion lengths

30

40

50

60

70

80

Equivalent diameter, m

Figure 11: 80 MHz UST evaluation of 90 mm bar

Ovako standard
Ovako IQ

Number per mm2

1.0E+01

1.0E+00

1.0E-01

1.0E102

1.0E-03
1-2

2-3

3-4

4-5

5-6

6-7

7-8

8-9

9-10

Size range, m

Figure 12: Distribution of small inclusions in IQ processed steel compared to

conventional-processed low sulphur ball bearing steel test dimension was 90 mm bar

Probability of specimen failure (%)

1.0E+02

99.9

100Cr6 Standard
100Cr6 IQ

90.0
70.0
50.0
30.0
20.0
10.0
5.0
2.0
1E+05

1E+06

1E+07

1E+08

Number of cycles

Figure 13: Rotating bending fatigue of hardened (62 HRC) ball bearing steel. Hour-glassed
specimen with a minimum diameter of 10 mm. Samples produced from 90 mm bar

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Patrik lund is the head of research at Ovako, a leading European producer of engineering steel for customers in the bearing, transportation,
and manufacturing industries. Ovakos production is based on recycled steel and includes steel in the form of bars, tubes, rings, and pre-components. For more
information, go to www.ovako.com.

46

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250
Longitudinal
Transverse

200

Charpy V (J)

Charpy V (J)

250

150
100
50
0

-40

-20

20

Longitudinal
Transverse

200
150
100
50
0

-40

Testing temperature (C)

-20

20

Testing temperature (C)

Figure 14: Charpy-V impact toughness in 650 MPa strength engineering steel

A comparison of two through-hardening,

ball bearing grade steels, one produced using
the IQ process, shows that the number of
inclusions ranging from 5 m was dramatically reduced (see Figure 11).
Conversely, as Figure 12 shows, the number of inclusions below 4 m is higher in
the IQ-Steel. But, knowing the relationship
between fatigue and inclusion size, the stress
levels required to cause a failure because of
these small inclusions would be close to the
intrinsic strength of the steel itself.
The purpose of developing the IQ process
was to create an isotropic steel that would
match the structural fatigue properties of
re-melt steels by reducing the inclusion distribution to a point where there is minimal
likelihood of finding an inclusion of critical
size in the stressed area. Figure 13 shows that
in rotating beam fatigue tests, the fatigue life
of IQ processed steel increased about 10 times
compared to conventional-processed steel.
The isotropic properties of IQ-Steel are
illustrated by comparing the impact toughness of longitudinal and transverse samples
of a 650 MPa strength engineering steel produced conventionally and one produced using
the IQ process (see Figure 14).

Complete Gear Manufacturing

CONCLUSION

Gear Grinding Services

Featuring Newer CNC Gear
Grinders

Today, IQ-Steel is used in a wide range

of critical applications from automotive to
mining to renewable energy, where its tolerance to complex loads and exceptional
fatigue strength are enabling design engineers to reduce weight, drive down costs,
and increase reliability.
The IQ process can be applied to all
Ovako steel grades, but the standard range
of IQ-Steels includes bearing steels, high tensile quench and tempering steel for axis and
machine components, case hardening steel
for bearing and transmission components,
and carburizing and structural steel used for
gears and hydraulic applications.

Serving the Gear Industry for

Over 20 Years

Calibrated Analytical Gear

Inspection Equipment
Up to 1,000 Piece Lot Sizes
ISO 9001:2008
6125 11TH STREET ROCKFORD, IL 61109
PHONE: 815-874-3948 FAX: 815-874-3817

www.raycargear.com
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The new SG 160 ensures cycle times for the finishing of gears
that are in line with the automotive industry at a lower cost
compared to traditional manufacturing solutions.

48

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Changing the Game with an

Innovative Machine Concept:
Dry Hard-Gear Finishing
By Enrico Landi

The development of a groundbreaking technology for a completely dry

grinding process without the need for cutting oils and the release of a
new dry-grinding machine has the potential to significantly transform the
production of transmission gears.
DESPITE THE MANY HIGH-SPEED, HIGH-TORQUE
direct-drive technologies developed over the past years,
the overall efficiency of gearboxes is still state-of-the-art.
Specifically, automotive powertrains have evolved toward
smaller engines with just three or four cylinders in combination with 7- to 10-speed transmissions. As a result,
in the last couple years, the global total production of
transmission gears has been growing at much higher rates
than the production of cars.
The manufacturing industry has been following this
trend by introducing new machines with reduced nonproductive times, and some of which even have dual work
spindles to parallelize machining with loading/unloading
of parts. All of these activities are consequently driven by
the objective of higher productivity.
But for decades in the transmission industry, the process
for producing gears, starting from raw material, has been
these production steps: 1) soft-turning, 2) soft-hobbing the
gear teeth, 3) deburring, 4) hardening, 5) hard-turning,
and lastly, grinding the gear teeth.
Of these process steps, the grinding of the gear teeth is
the most sophisticated and most expensive. Thats why,
until about 10 years ago, the majority of gears were not
even ground after hardening. But today, the demands on
efficiency and noise emission are higher almost all newly
introduced transmissions have precision demands which
makes the grinding inevitable. So, production must adjust
and bear the cost.
The reasons why gear grinding is expensive is not just
because machinery is expensive and not just because of
the high tool costs; a major contributor to the cost of gear
Grinding Wheel

Chip
Environment
(Cooling Fluid, Air)

Workpiece

Figure 1: In grinding, 75 percent of the heat is transferred

into the workpiece

Based on a very rigid and unique machine architecture, the SG 160 Sky
Grind is the first dry-grinding machine for high productivity industries.

grinding is the use of oil as a coolant in the process. Its

important to note that the aforementioned production steps
can be performed dry, except the final grinding of the
gear teeth, which needs an oil-based lubricant. And, its
specifically the use of oil that is a cost driver to this process.
Aside from the production itself, oil creates costs
throughout the full life cycle, starting with huge additional investments for:
An oil supply unit, including tanks, high-pressure
pumps, and filtration system
An oil mist separator for cleaning the air, which is
needed for proper ventilation of the work area inside
the machine
A washing machine needed for cleaning the oily parts
after grinding for further processing
A chiller to keep the oil temperature at a constant level
for thermal stability of the machine and to remove the
heat produced by the grinding process itself
Extra installation in and around the machine and automation to catch dripping oil from parts and handling
systems and to return this oil into the coolant circuit
And, all of these units consume valuable space. A typical installation for gear grinding only uses less than half
of the space for the grinding machine; the larger space is
used by all the supporting supplies.
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Besides, it is even more important to consider that the energy consumed for running
these systems is around 75 percent of the total
energy requested by the grinding process.
Next is the oil itself. Per machine, between
2,000 to 4,000 liters of oil are needed as an
initial fill, but depending on the application,
100 to 200 liters get lost every month. Its getting lost to the washing machine, to the air, to
the ground, and other locations. Grinding is
different from dry cutting processes in that it
does not create metal chips that can easily be
recycled. It creates swarf a mixture of metallic chips, abrasive particles, and, of course, oil.
Therefore, it needs expensive special treatments to separate and dispose its contents.
Finally, cutting oils imply hazards to our
environment and our health.
Taking these considerations, Samputensili
is presenting a ground-breaking technology
on its new, dedicated dry hard-gear finishing
machine, the SG 160 Sky Grind.

Why Is Oil Needed in Gear Grinding?

Only a part of the grinding technology is

based on cutting chips. The lack of a defined
cutting edge creates plastic deformation
instead of material removal, and it creates
friction and heat as a result (see Figure 1).
Reducing this friction and discharging the
heat are the two primary technological tasks
for the oil. Secondary tasks serve chip transportation and thermal stabilization of the
machine. While chip transport and thermal
stability may be addressed by the conceptual
design of a machine, the technological need for
oil due to friction and heat seems inescapable.
But in studying the grinding basics, which
were proven over 40 years ago (see Figure 2),
we learn that: At the same removal rate (which
compares to productivity), grinding with small
infeed and high feed rate creates much less heat
than grinding with high infeed and small feed
rate. Beyond this, comparing the use of oil to dry
grinding shows that the benefit of oil in regards
to the surface temperature is almost vanishing at

Figure 3: Typical surface structure of a pinion:

skive-hobbed (left) and ground (right)

50

Figure 2: Grinding at lowest infeed: low

heat and smooth surface even with no oil

small infeed. And microscopic views show the

ground surface getting scattered at high infeed
without the use of oil, while it remains smooth
if only the infeed is small.

A NEW TECHNOLOGICAL APPROACH

Today, grinding of automotive transmission
gears is mostly done in two passes: a roughing and a finishing pass. During the roughing, around 80 percent of the total material is
removed and the gear flanks are cleaned for the
final finishing pass. The infeed for this finishing
pass is already small, and it can be made even
smaller to make dry grinding work as previously
explained. It is the roughing pass that is critical
for dry grinding, because stock to be removed is
too much to fit the described approach.
On the other hand, technologies exist
that can remove a high amount of hardened
material without any oil and without introducing excessive heat into the workpiece
surface. Hard turning is one example, and
it has become state-of-the-art in the bearing
industry. But even in gear production, hobbing of hardened gears with carbide tools (or
skive-hobbing) is currently used without oil,
even in mass production. Steering pinions
are typical applications. But skive-hobbing
has not succeeded in producing transmission
gears because the defined cutting edges of
the hob create a regular pattern (feed and
profile scallops) on the gear flank, which is

unacceptable for durability and for noise (see

Figure 3, left). This is one of the reasons why
grinding has become almost mandatory as a
finishing process. The smooth but irregular
surface guaranties high load capability, high
durability, and quiet running (see Figure
3, right).
Thus, its logical to combine the removal
rate of the dry skive-hobbing with the geometric accuracy and surface quality of the
dry finish grinding process. Samputensili has
addressed this challenge by not only developing this dual technology but also by creating a
new machine, the SG 160, to run this process
for automotive mass production.
Key challenges to running the two processes, which are so different in their requirements, in the same machine include:
Hobbing, especially skive-hobbing of hardened gears with its continuous engaging
and disengaging of cutting teeth at high
frequency, is extremely dynamic and creates excessive passive forces. Tools of 50 to
100mm in diameter run at 100 to 200m/
min cutting speed, resulting in just 300 to
1,200rpm (see Figure 4, left).
Grinding is much smoother but the gear
generation cinematic is still more dynamic
than any other grinding process. Tools are
larger (about 200 to 300mm) and run at
60 to 80m/s with a resulting rpm of 4,000
to 7,000 (see Figure 4, right).

Figure 4: Dual technologies for roughing and finishing an automotive transmission gear

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To avoid geometric constraints given by the different tool diameters and be able to perfectly control position and speed of the tools
at their nominal speed, the SG 160 has dedicated
tool spindles instead of having both tools
on one: one spindle for the
skive-hob and one spindle
for the grinding worm.
All current machines in
the market stack four axes
one on the other (X-ZA-Y) before it comes to
mounting the tool spindle. But each of these axes
adds its own error to a
total positioning error,
and the overall stiffness
decreases with each axis
in the stack. The new SG
160 not only takes the
X-axis out of this stack,
but it also changes the
order of the other axis
to Y-Z-A by moving
the main column in
the Y-axis direction
instead of the tool spindle support (see Figure 5).
By doing so, the mass in motion
(inertia) is significantly higher compared
to any other gear grinding machine and therefore
provides much higher dynamic stiffness.
Another feature of current gear grinding machines are the two
workpiece spindles for shortening the non-productive time when
changing parts. While a gear is ground on one spindle, parts are
changed on the other. Despite this, the non-productive time has never
gone under five seconds because the spindles are located on a rotary
table, which is hydraulically locked in position but is inaccurately
floating while moving. The unlocking, the settling after moving,
and the locking in the new position take more time than the motion
itself and cannot be any faster by design.
However, the SG 160 splits the X-axis of current machines into two
linear slides (X1, X2), each of which carries one workpiece spindle (see
Figure 5). So both work spindles are under full position control anytime.
Driven by high dynamic 30 m/min linear motors, changing spindles can
be done in record-breaking time less than two seconds including
simultaneous repositioning of the tools with the Y, Z, A axes.

SG 160 Sky Grind

CONCLUSION
The development of this new technology along with the SG 160
machine is a game-changer. The feedback is encouraging, and it confirms that this system will transform the production of transmission
gears in the long run. Dry hard finishing is eliminating the use of
lubricating oil in gear production to not only cut costs but also to act
as a milestone for a more sustainable production future. Compared
to todays wet grinding, total savings can be made on the investment,
the consumables, the tools, and the energy, plus additional savings
in less floor space and less cleaning.

Figure 5: (X1) Retract work spindle slide; (X2) Infeed work spindle slide;
(Y, Z, A) Change tool positions from grinding to hobbing

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Enrico Landi is the director of the Samputensili Machine Tool Division of SAMP S.p.A., and he is based is Italy. For more information, visit
Samputensilis North American partner, Star SU LLC at star-su.com.

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MACHINERY
FEATURED SUPPLIERS
Gibbs Machinery Company REF #102
Phone: 586-755-5353 Fax: 586-755-0304
Email: rj@gibbsmachinery.com
Website: www.gibbsmachinery.com
Havlik International Machinery, Inc. REF #103
Phone: 519-624-2100 Fax: 519-624-6994
Email: havlik@bellnet.ca
Website: www.havlikinternational.com
Midwest Gear Corporation REF #104
Phone: 330-425-4419 Fax: 330-425-8600
Email: sales@mwgear.com
Website: www.mwgear.com
New England Gear REF #105
Phone: 860-223-7778 Fax: 860-223-7776
Email: jeff@newenglandgear.com
Website: www.newenglandgear.com
R. P. Machine Enterprises, Inc. REF #106
Phone: 704-872-8888 Fax: 704-872-5777
Email: sales@rpmachine.com
Website: www.rpmachine.com
GEAR ACCESSORIES, PARTS & TOOLING
FELLOWS Model #10-4/10-2, All Parts Available REF#105
Tilt Tables for 10-2/10-4, Qty 2 REF#105
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GEAR HOBBERS/CUTTERS CNC

PFAUTER #PE-150, 6-Axis CNC, 6 Dia, 5 DP, 6 Face, Fanuc 18MI REF#106
G&E #60 S-2 CNC Gasher/Hobber REF#106
BARBER-COLMAN #16-36, 16 Dia, 4-Axis, 6 DP, 36 Face REF#106
MUIR CNC Gear Hobber, 4-Axis, 118 Dia REF#106
LIEBHERR #L-252 3-Axis, 9.8 Dia, recontrolled 2008 REF#106
LIEBHERR #ET-1802 CNC 98 Dia Internal, 3-Axis REF#106
G&E #120GH, CNC, Gasher/Hobber, Twin Stanchion, 1/2 DP, 42 Face, 94 REF#106
PFAUTER P400H, 5-Axis, 18 Dia, 1 DP, Recontrolled 03 REF#106
G&E #96GH, CNC, Gasher/Hobber, New 09 REF#106
PFAUTER PE 300 AW CNC 6-Axis REF#106
Pfauter PE150, 15MB Fanuc, Chip Conveyor, Auto Load REF#102
Pfauter PE150, Siemens 3M, Magnetic Chip Conveyor, Oil Chiller REF#102
Pfauter PE150, Fanuc 15, with light hob slide 8 REF#102
Pfauter PE80, 15MB Control, Auto Load, Light Curtain REF#102
Liebherr LC82 15M Fanuc Control, Auto Load REF#102
Liebherr LC502, 20, Fanuc 16im, 2007 REF#102
Liebherr LC380, 440mm W/100mm Hob, 2008 REF#102

GEAR HOBBERS/CUTTERS
TOS OFA Series Conventional Gear Hobbers, 12 & 40 Dia REF#103
TOS OHA Series Conventional Gear Shapers, 12 & 40 Dia REF#103
PFAUTER P1251 Hobbers s/n 25-276 and 25-277 REF#105
PFAUTER (1) RS-00 s/n 17593 REF#105
BARBER COLEMAN (1) 16-36 multi cycle s/n 4404 REF#105
BARBER-COLMAN #16-16, Multi-Cycle, Dual Thread Worm and/or Single Thread
Worm REF#106
G&E #48H 48 Dia, 18 Face 2 DP, Universal REF#106
G&E #48H, 48 Dia, 35 Face, 3 DP, Gooseneck Attachment REF#106
BARBER-COLMAN #6-16, 6 Multi-Cycle REF#106
G&E #36H Differential, Excellent Condition REF#106
BARBER-COLMAN #14-30, 14 Dia, 30 Face, 3.5DP REF#106
BARBER-COLMAN #14-15, 14 Dia, 15 Face, 1 to 4 Start Worm, Several REF#106
BARBER-COLMAN #16-16, 16 Dia, 16 Face, 6DP REF#106
BARBER-COLMAN #16-36, 24 Dia, C-Frame Style, 4 1/8 Bore REF#106
BARBER-COLMAN #16-56, 16 Dia, 56 Face, Differential REF#106
G&E #24H Universal Head, Infeed, Tailstock, Differential, 50s REF#106
LIEBHERR #L-650, 26" Dia Cap, 14.5" Face, 2.5 DP, New 70s REF#106
G&E #16H Gear Hobber, 16"Dia REF#106

52

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Barber C. 16-15, 4 Hob, Crowning, Differential, Double Cut, 3 DP, 1977 REF#102
G & E 36H, 36, Hi-Column, Differential, From AEM Toolroom, Excellent REF#102
G & E Model 48HS, 48PD, 18 Face, 2.5 DP, Hi-Column, Heavy Duty, 8 Hob REF#102
Liebherr L301, 12 Crowning, Double Cut, Differential, Hob Shift REF#102
Liebherr L401, 16, Differential, 2-Cut Cycle, Chip Conveyor, 7.566 Hob Dia. REF#102
Liebherr L402, 2-Cut, Infeed, Differential, Tangential Feed, 19.3 OD W/4 Hob REF#102
Cleveland 1886, Hi-Helix, Hob Head, Auto Hob Shift, 4-Pitch, 1975 REF#102

GEAR PINION HOBBERS & SPLINE MILLERS

HURTH #KF-32A 15 Dia, 59 Face, 67 REF#106
GE/Fitchuburg Pinion Hob 32 Dia, 72 Face REF#106
MICHIGAN Tool #3237 REF#106
FITCHBURG Pinion Hobber 42 Dia, 72 Dia REF#106

GEAR HOB & CUTTER SHARPENERS (INCL CNC)

TOS OHA Series CNC Gear Shapers, 12 & 40 Diameter REF#103
TOS OFA Series CNC Gear Hobbers, 12 & 40 Diameter REF#103
BARBER-COLMAN #6-5, 6" Dia, 5" Length, Manual Dresser, 57 REF#106
FELLOWS #6SB, Helical Cutter Sharpener, 6 Dia, up to 50 Degrees REF#106
KAPP #AS-305GT, 1 DP, 28" Grind Length, 10" Diam., Str. & Spiral REF#106
KAPP #AS204GT, 10 Dia, Wet Grinding, CBN Wheels, 82 REF#106
REDRING MODEL #SGH "PREIFORwM" SHAVE CUTTER GRINDER/SHARPENER REF#106
STAR 6X8 HOB SHARPENER PRECISION GEAR & SPLINE HOBBER REF#106
BARBER-COLMAN 2-2 1/2 , 2.5 Dia REF#106
KAPP #AST-305B, 27.5 Dia, REF#106
KAPP AS-410B REF#106
GLEASON #12 Sharpener, 3-18 Cone REF#106
Red Ring Shaving Cutter sharpener Periform REF#106
Star #6 Gear Cutter Sharpener REF#106
Star 4HS Hob sharpener REF#106
Star HHS Horizontal Hob Sharpener CNC, Max Dia 10 Max length 12 New 1990 REF#106
Barber Colman 10-12, Water Guards, Dresser, Index Plates REF#102
Star 2VHS, 6x6, Coolant, Change Gears, REF#102
Star 4 x 4 (G691), 0-7000 Spindle Speeds, Auto Cycle, Coolant REF#102
Barber Colman 4-4, Index Plates, Very Light Use, Excellent REF#102
Gleason 538, 18 Shaper Blades, Makes Blades from Blanks, Light Use, Extras REF#102
Star 2VHS, 6 x 6, Coolant, Change Gears REF#102

GEAR SHAPERS CNC

36 Shapers, 14 Throat Risers, 53 of Swing, Qty 3 REF#105
FELLOWS #10-4/10-2, Qty 150 REF#105
HYDROSTROKE #50-8, Qty 2 REF#105
HYDROSTROKE #20-8, Qty 5 REF#105
HYDROSTROKE #FS630-125, Qty 1 REF#105
HYDROSTROKE #FS400-90, Qty 2 REF#105
FELLOWS #20-4, Qty 6 REF#105
FELLOWS #48-8Z, Qty 1 REF#105
FELLOWS #FS-180, 3-5 Axis, 7 Dia, 1.25 Face., 6 DP, New 88 REF#106
LIEBHERR #WS-1, 4-Axis CNC, 8" OD, 2" Stroke, Fanuc 18MI REF#106
LORENZ # LS-180, 4-Axis CNC, 11 OD, 2 Stroke, 5 DP REF#106
LORENZ #LS-304 CNC Gear Shaper 5-Axis Heckler & Koch Control REF#106
FELLOWS FS400-125, 16 Dia, 3.5 DP 5 Face REF#106
FELLOWS #10-4 3-Axis (A/B), 10" Dia, 4" Face, 4 DP New .09 REF#106
FELLOWS #10-4 2-Axis, 10 Dia 4 Face REF#106
FELLOWS #20-4 3-Axis 10 Dia, 4 Face REF#106

FELLOWS FS400-90 Hydro-stroke Gear Shaper CNC Nominal Pitch 15.7" REF#106
Fellows 20-8, CNC Gear Shaper, Remanufactured and recontrolled REF#106
Fellows Model Z gear Shaper REF#106
Lorenz SN4 Gear Shaper, Max OD 7, 2 Face, Max 6 DP with Loader REF#106
RP/ Stanko 48-8 Remanufactured Gear Shaper, Fanuc 3 Axis, 18i M Control, new
2010 REF#106

GEAR HOBBERS
Barber Colman Model 4-4HRS, Hob Sharpener 4 Max OD, 4 Length REF#106
Fellows FH 200 Gear hobber, universal hobbing Machine REF#106
Barber Colman 6-10, CNC, CRt 5 Axis, 6 Dia, 10.5 travel, 6 DP REF#106
Barber Colman Hobber Type T REF#106
Barber Colman model #14-15 Gear Hobber, horizontal Heavy Duty REF#106
Barber Colman Model #16-36 GearHobber REF#106
Barber Colman Model #16-56, 16 dia, 56 Face, adj. Air Tailstock REF#106
Barber Colman Model 2.5-2 gear hobber, 2 length Manual Dresser REF#106
G&E Model 5.2 CNC Internal Gear gashing head REF#106
Jeil JDH-3, Gear hobber, Max Dia 31.5, 3DP, 22.8 Table Diameter REF#106
Jeil JDP-2, Gear hobber, Max Dia 26, 4 DP, 19.5 Table Dia, Differential
and tailstock REF#106
Liebherr ET 1802, Internal Gashing head, Fanuc 16i Control, 98Max dist 17 Face REF#106
Liebherr L-402 Gear hobbing Machine, New 1977 REF#106
Liebherr LC 752, 6 Axis CNC Hobber, Max OD 29.5, Max Face width 23.6 REF#106
Micron Model 120.01 w/bevel Cutting Attachment, New 1975, 1.6 dia, 25.4 DP REF#106
Nihon Kakai Model NTM-3000, Spline Hobbing Machine, Max dia 400mm, 3150mm between
Center REF#106
Pfauter P900 Reman and Recontrolled, Max OD 120 REF#106
Pfauter Model PE125 CNC Gear hobber REF#106
Pfauter model PE300 CNC, Max OD 12, Max gear face 15, 3 DP, 6 Axis REF#106
Reinecker Heavy Duty Gear Hobber REF#106
Scheiss Model RF10 Horizontal Hobber, 60 dia, 144 face, 180cc, 8 DP REF#106

GEAR SHAPERS
FELLOWS #10-2, (10 Dia), 2 Face REF#105
FELLOWS #10-4, (10 Dia), 4 Face REF#105
FELLOWS (200) 10-4 / 10-2 Shapers REF#105
FELLOWS (1) 50-8 Hydrostroke Shaper s/n 36607 w/ 6 axis 16iMB Fanuc (2009) REF#105
FELLOWS (1) 20-8 Hydrostroke Shaper s/n 35932 w/ 6 axis 16iMB Fanuc (2009 REF#105
FELLOWS (1) #7 125A Face Gear Machine REF#105
FELLOWS (2) #3 Face Gear Machine REF#105
(1) 4ags with adjustable Helical Guide s/n 30634 REF#105
(1) #7 125A adjustable Helical Guide REF#105
FELLOWS (3) Tilt Table 10-4 / 10-2 w/ 4 axis 21i Fanuc Controller (2009) REF#105
FELLOWS (2) Swing-away center support for 10-2 / 10-4 REF#105
FELLOWS (1) FS630-170 Hydrostroke Shaper s/n 36732 w/ 6 axis 16iMB Fanuc
(2009) REF#105
FELLOWS (2) FS400-170 Hydrostroke Shaper w/ 6 axis 16iMB Fanuc (2009) REF#105
FELLOWS (4) FS400-125 Hydrostroke Shaper w/ 6 axis 16iMB Fanuc (2009) REF#105
FELLOWS (1) 20-4 Shaper s/n 35687 w/ 4 axis 21i Fanuc Controller (2009) REF#105
FELLOWS (1) 48-8Z Shaper w/ 14 throated riser (53 of swing) REF#105
FELLOWS (1) Horizontal Z Shaper s/n 21261 REF#105
FELLOWS (1) 4-B Steering Sector Gear Shaper w/ 18iMB 4 axis Fanuc controller
s/n 34326 REF#105
FELLOWS (1) 36-10 Gear Shaper REF#105
FELLOWS (1) 10x6 Horizontal Z Shaper REF#105
FELLOWS (1) 36-6 Gear Shaper w/ 13 riser s/n 27364 REF#105
FELLOWS (1) 10-4 Shaper w/ 3 riser w/ 4 axis 21i Fanuc Controller (2009) REF#105
All Parts for 10-4/10-2 Fellows Gear Shapers REF#105
FELLOWS #36-8, 36 Dia, 8 Face REF#106
FELLOWS #100-8 100 Dia, 8 Face REF#106
FELLOWS #612A, 615A, #645A REF#106
FELLOWS #10-4, 10 Dia, 4 Face, 4 DP REF#106
FELLOWS #4A Versa, 10 Dia, 3 Face, 4 DP, New 70s REF#106
FELLOWS #10-2, 10 Dia, 4 Face, 4 DP REF#106
FELLOWS #20-4, 20 Dia, 4 Face, 4 DP, 70s REF#106
FELLOWS #3-1,/3GS, 3 Max Dia, 1 Face, Pinion Supp, High Precision REF#106
FELLOWS #48-6 INTERNAL GEAR SHAPER ONLY,0-72"OD,6" Face REF#106
MAAG #SH-150, 57" Dia.12.6" Face REF#106
PFAUTER #SH-180 Shobber 7" capacity hobbing, 9.45" cap REF#106
FELLOWS #36-6 Max Dia 36 6 Face, 3 DP REF#106
FELLOWS #HORZ Z SHAPER, 10 x 6 Dia 27.6 Face 8.5 REF#106
FELLOWS #4GS & 4AGS, 6 Dia, 2 Face, 4DP, 68, Ref.# Several REF#106
FELLOWS #624A, 18 Max Dia, 5 Face REF#106
FELLOWS #7, #7A, #715,# 75A, #715, #725A, 7 Dia, 0-12 Risers,
Several Avail REF#106
MICHIGAN #18106 SHEAR-SPEED GEAR SHAPER,14" Dia, 6"Face REF#106
FELLOWS Model Z Shaper, 5" Stroke, 50s REF#106
STAEHELY SHS-605, Gear Shaper REF#106
FELLOWS #6, #6A, #61S, From 18-35 Dia, 0-12 Risers REF#106
FELLOWS #8AGS Vertical Gear Shaper, 8 Dia, 2 Face, 6-7 DP REF#106

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TOS OHA50 CNC 5 20 Dia 5 Face REF#103

Mitsubishi SC40, 400mm-15.7, 18iMB Fanuc, 2005 REF#102
Fellows FS180, 7, Hydrostatic Guide, 15M Fanuc, Manual Pulse Generator REF#102
Fellows 10-2, Fanuc Control, LR Mate 100 Robot W/Independent Control REF#102

GEAR DEBURRING/CHAMFERING/POINTING
CROSS #50 Gear Tooth Chamferer, 18 Dia, Single Spindle REF#106
REDIN #20D, 20 Dia, Twin Spindle, Deburrer/Chamfer REF#106
SAMPUTENSILI #SCT-3, Chamf/Deburrer, 14 Dia, 5 Face, 82 REF#106
SAMPUTENSILI #SM2TA Gear Chamfering Mach, 10 Max Dia, (3) New 96 REF#106
REDIN #24 CNC Dia 4 Setup Gear Deburring REF#106
CROSS #60 Gear Tooth Chamferer, 10 Dia, Single Spindle REF#106
FELLOWS #100-180/60 CNC Max Dia 180, Single Spindle REF#106
CIMTEC #50 Finisher REF#106
CROSS #54 Gear Deburrer, 30 Dia, 18 Face REF#106
RED RING #24 Twin Spindle Dia 4 REF#106
GLEASON GTR-250 VG CNC 5-Axis REF#106
Gleason- Hurth Model ZEA 4, Max Dia 250mm, Max Module 5mm REF#106
Redin Model 36 universal Chamfering and Deburring Machine, Max OD 36, Twin spindle,
Tilt table REF#106
Cross 55 Gear Rounder, 18 Chuck, Hydraulic Unit REF#102
Cross 65, 10 Gear Pointer, Power Cylinder, Cutter, Change Gears REF#102
Cross 85 10 Chamfer, (2) Cutter Heads, Bevel, Spur, Helical REF#102
Samputensili SCT3 13.7, SM2TA 10, (5), 2003 REF#102
Samputensili SM2TA, 10, Max. Face Width 4, Hyd. Work Clamping,
1983-2003 REF#102
Mitsubishi MA30 CNC, 11PD, Fanuc Control, Powermate, 1999 (2) REF#102

GEAR HONERS
Kapp #CX120 Coroning 4.7 Dia REF#106
Red Ring GHD-12, 12 Dia, 5.5 Stroke REF#106
Red Ring GHG, 12 Dia, 5.5 Stroke REF#106
Kapp #VAC65 Coroning 10 Dia REF#106
National Broach GHG 18, Power Stock, Crowning, Variable Speed REF#102
Toyo T465 CNC, 160M Fanuc 5-Axis, Power Stock, Uses Fassler Tooling, REF#102

GEAR GENERATORS
GLEASON #37 Str. Bevel Planer, 6 Dia REF#106
GLEASON #496 Straight.& Spiral. 7.5 Dia REF#106
GLEASON 725-Revacycle, 6 Dia REF#106
GLEASON 726-Revacycle, 5 Dia REF#106
Farrel Sykes Model 12C herringbone max dia 264, max face width 60 REF#106
Farrel Model 5B herringbone gear generator. REF#106
Gleason 529 gear quench press, Auto cycle 16 Diam, New 1980 REF#106
Gleason 614 hypoid finishing machine, 10.5 pitch, dia 5.25 Max cone dist REF#106
Oerlikon/klingelnburg Model C28, Max dia 320 mm, Max Module 7.5 mm REF#106
Gleason Model 26 Quench press and Hypoid Generator Max OD 16, Max face Width Air
Cylinder REF#106
Gleason Model 36 Gear Quenching Press, Max Ring 28 OD, 8 Face, Universal REF#106
Gleason Model 450 HC CNC Hypoid Cutter, Face width 2.6, fanuc 150 Controls REF#106
Gleason 11 Spiral Bevel, 13, Stock Divider, Hyd. Chucking, Roughers & Finishers REF#102
Gleason 12, Gears, Gauges Tool Blocks REF#102
Gleason 16 Spiral Bevel, 18, 2-1/2 DP, Modified Roll, Chip Conveyor REF#102
Gleason 24 Rougher, Gears, Finishing Tool Holder REF#102
Gleason 116 Rougher & Finisher (6) REF#102
Gleason Phoenix 175HC CNC 1994 REF#102
Gleason 22 Rougher & Finisher (8) REF#102
Gleason 26 Spiral Bevel, 33-36, Mod. Roll, Stock Divider, Coolant, Change Gears REF#102
Gleason Phoenix 450HC, Spiral Bevel, 150MB Fanuc REF#102
Gleason 610 Combination Rougher & Finisher, 1988 REF#102
Gleason 608 & 609 Rougher & Finisher REF#102
Gleason 645 Spiral Bevel, Helical Motion, Chip Conveyor, Variable Rate o
f Roll REF#102
Gleason Cutters, 3 to 25 in stock, 1000 REF#102

GEAR GRINDERS
#27, #137, and #463 Gleason Hypoid Spiral Bevel gear grinder generating Cams
(2 full sets) REF#105
Springfield Vertical Grinder, 62" Table, #62AR/2CS, 3.5A Rail Type, 70" Swing REF#105
REISHAUER ZA, Gear Grinder, 13" Dia, 6" Face, Strait & Helix REF#106
GLEASON #463, 15 Dia REF#106
Hofler model Rapid 2000L, CNC Grinder, Max OD 78, CNC Dressing REF#106
Matrix model 78, Reman CNC Thread grinder, 24 Dia, 86 grind Length, 106 between
centers REF#106
Mitsu Seiki Model GSW-1000 Gear Grinder REF#106
Reishauer RZ 362 AS, CNC Grinder, Max Dia 360mm REF#106
Sundstrand/Arter Model D12 Grinder REF#106
Teledyne-Landis Gear Roll Finishing Machine, 5 Diam, 42k lbs Rolling Force REF#106
Reishauer NZA, 12, Fassler Dresser, Many Extras, 1994 REF#102
Reishauer RZP, 4-8, Auto Loading, High Production, Use in Lab REF#102
Reishauer RZ301AS CNC, 13 Measuring System (3) REF#102
Reishauer ZB, 27.5 PD Gears, Coolant REF#102
Gleason 120 Curvic Coupling, 24 Max. Dia., Index Plates, Extras REF#102
Csepel FKP-326, Fassler Dresser, Like A Hogland NZA Reishauer, Super Cond. REF#102
National Broach SGK-24, Max. OD 31, ID 24, Spur & Helical, From Aircraft REF#102
Maag SH150, 60, Change Gears, 2-Pitch, Max. Face 23-1/2, Navy Surplus REF#102

GEAR RACK MILLERS/SHAPERS

MIKRON #134 Rack Shaper, 17.4" Length, 1.1" Width, 16.9 DP REF#106
SYKES VR-72 Vert Rack Shaper, 72" Cut Length, 4DP, 4" Stroke, 80 REF#106

GEAR SHAVERS
Red Ring #GCX-24" Shaver, 24 Dia, 33 Stroke REF#106
Red Ring #GCU-12, 12 Dia, 5 Stroke REF#106
Red Ring #GCY-12, 12 Dia, 5 Stroke REF#106
Red Ring GCI 24, 12.75 Dia, 5 Stroke REF#106
Kanzaki model GSP 320 Gear shaver REF#106
Red Ring GCU 12 Crowning, 1956 to 1988 (6) REF#102
Rex Ring GCX 24, Crowning, 12 Cutter Head, Taper Attachment,
Long Table REF#102
Mitsubishi FB30, 12.2 CNC Fanuc, 1997 REF#102
Michigan 870, Crowning, Power Stocks, Very Light Use, Excellent REF#102
National Broach GCY 18, Crowning, Max. 19=1/2, Rebuilt or Under Power REF#102
National Broach GFF, Crowning, Heidenhein Scales, Servo Drives, 1993 REF#102
Raso Sicmat 400 CNC, Fanuc 16iM, Chip Separator, 2001 REF#102

GEAR TESTERS/CHECKERS (INCL CNC)

FELLOWS (1) RL-600 Roll Tester s/n 35814 REF#105
FELLOWS (1) 24H Lead Checker s/n 32289 REF#105
GLEASON (1) #14 Tester s/n 31907 REF#105
GLEASON (1) #6 Tester s/n 19316 REF#105
FELLOWS (1) 20 M Roller Checker REF#105
FELLOWS (1) 20 M w/ 30 Swing Roller Checker REF#105
FELLOWS (1) #8 Micaodex s/n 36279 REF#105
David Brown #24 Worm Tester REF#106
Gleason #4, #6, #13 and #17 Testers REF#106
Hofler EMZ-2602 Int/Ext Gear Tester 102 REF#106
Klingelnberg #PFSU-1600 Gear Tester-2001 REF#106
Kapp Hob Checker WM 410 REF#106
Maag #ES-430 Gear Tester REF#106
Maag #SP-130 Lead and Involute Tester REF#106
National Broach Gear Tester GSJ-12 REF#106
Oerlikon #ST2-004 Soft Tester REF#106
Maag #SP-60- Electronic Tester REF#106
Parkson #42N Worm Gear Tester REF#106
Vinco Dividing Head Optical Inspection REF#106
Gleason model 511 Hypoid tester Max Dia 20, max spindle centerline 3.5 REF#106
Klingelnberg Model PFSU-1600 63 Dia, 1.02 DP, Rebuilt REF#106
MAAG ES401 Pitch tester With Process Computer REF#106
Fellows 24M Involute, Response Electronic Recorder, Hot Pen REF#102
Fellows 36 Space Tester, Hot Pen Guaranteed REF#102
Fellows 8M Redliner, 13 5/8, Recorder (2) REF#102
Gleason 6, 7-1/2 Indicator Check, Pinion .00015, Gear .00001 REF#102
Gleason 17A Running or Rebuilt Guaranteed REF#102
Gleason 511, 20 Reconditioned in 2010 Guaranteed REF#102
Gleason 502, 10, Hydraulic Chucking, Automatic Backlash, Eliminator REF#102
Gleason 513 20 Gear, 10 Pinion Electronic Meter Reading of Sound (3) REF#102
Gleason 515, 24 REF#102
Gleason 520, 30, Hyd. Chucking, Auto Splash Doors/Backlash, Eliminator REF#102
Gleason 523, 20 Reconditioned, 2010 REF#102
Gleason 528 Cutter Inspection, Proximity Type Gage, 3.5-25, Conventional REF#102
Illinois 1731-3C, Hob & Worm Lead Tester, Electronic Recorder, Master Hob REF#102
Illinois 3412B-3C, 12 Involute with 1606 Electronic Recorder, Master Gauge REF#102
Illinois 3824-1-3B Spline & Spur Lead Tester, Max. Centers 52,
1606 Recorder REF#102
Illinois 3912-3C Lead Tester, 12, 1607 Electronic Recorder, 1980 REF#102
Klingelnberg PFS600 W/Masters, Recorder, Extras, 23.6, 0.59-23.6 REF#102
M&M 3015, 15 Gear Analyzer, P2 Computer Software, 12Mag. Chuck REF#102

GEAR THREAD & WORM, MILLERS/GRINDERS

BARBER-COLMAN #10-40, 10" Dia., 40" Length, 4 DP REF#106
EXCELLO #31L, External Thread Grinder, 5" OD, 20" Grind Length REF#106
EXCELLO #33 Thread Grinder 6 Dia 18 Length REF#106
HURTH #KF-33A Multi-Purpose Auto-Milling Machine 88 REF#106
LEES BRADNER #HT12x102, Extra Large Capacity REF#106
LEES BRADNER #HT 12"x 144" Thread Mill, 12" Dia, REF#106
LEES BRADNER # LT 8 x 24 8 Dia REF#106
HOLROYD 5A 24.8 Dia REF#106 LEES BRADBER WORM MILLER REF#106

MISCELLANEOUS
WARNER & SWAYSEY #4A M-3580 Turret Lathe, 28 1/4 Swing, 80 Centers, 12 Spindle Hole
50/25 Motors, 480/3 Phase, Year 1965 REF#104
Springfield Vertical Grinder, 62" Table, #62AR/2CS, 3.5A Rail Type, 70" Swing REF#105
GLEASON #529 Quench, 16" Diameter REF#106
Klingelnberg Model LRK-631 Gear Lapper REF#106
TOS SU & SUS Series Conv Lathes REF#103
TOS SUA Series CNC Flat-Bed Lathes REF#103
Gleason: Change Gears, Cutter Heads, Cams, Index Plates, Workholding REF#102
G & E: Change Gears, Arbors REF#102
Barber Colman: Change Gears, Arbors, Parts for All Models REF#102
Liebherr: Change Gears, Parts REF#102
Reishauer: Wheel Mounts REF#102

JANUARY 2016

GS-2016-01.indb 53

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PRODUCT

SHOWCASE

NEW PRODUCTS, TRENDS,

SERVICES, AND DEVELOPMENTS

THREAD CHASER INSERT

HOLDER FROM SECO
OFFERS PRECISION AND
RIGIDITY
Seco Tools developed its new thread chaser
insert holder to bring high levels of precision
and rigidity to threading operations that involve
tough materials, including the hard, gummy,
or high-chrome content used in the oil and
gas industry. Such achievement is possible via
a special carbide-pin locating system combined
with a patented pocket seat surface pattern and
high-pressure coolant capabilities.
Working in unison with top and axial
clamps, the holders locating system uses
two horizontally oriented pins that rest at
specific distances from the bottom of the
insert pocket. The exact points on the insert
where these pins make contact are the same
points that Seco works with when grinding
the inserts threading profile.
The two-pin system ensures extremely
precise insert positioning from insert to
insert and plays a key role in the holders
increased rigidity and insert support. As a
result, the holder helps reduce the number
of threading passes required to produce a
full thread profile.
The holders pocket seat surface pattern
features milled scallops that provide even

more chaser insert support. When the

insert is mounted in the pocket, the
clamping force acts on the scallop pattern
and work hardens the seat surface to a
hardness of 54 HRc.
Seco also equipped the holder with highpressure coolant directed at key cutting
areas of the insert. Coolant enters the
holder from the back end, travels through
the insert cavity directly to the inserts
chipformer and into the channels between
each tooth. With a maximum output of

3,046 psi (210 bar), the holder delivers

the industrys highest coolant pressures for
thread chasing operations.
The new thread chaser holder comes in
two versions, P1 for 625" (15.875-mm-thick)
inserts and P5 for .984" (25-mm-thick)
inserts. Chipformer sizes come in .156" (3.97
mm) and .124" (3.18 mm).
secotools.com

NEW FEATURES ARE AVAILABLE IN THE KISSSOFT

SHAFT CALCULATION
The shaft strength calculation method according to AGMA 6101-E08/6001-E08
is now available and includes both a static and dynamic proof.
In the static proof, which takes peak loads into account, the
nominal power is multiplied with a load factor. This load
factor is defined depending on the application case. The
dynamic proof takes different notch factors into account and
uses the shape modification hypothesis method (von
Mises) to perform the evaluation. The material
properties that can be used in these calculations
are derived from the material core hardness,
which can now be input in KISSsoft.
kisssoft.com
54

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EMUGE LAUNCHES LINE OF HIGH-PERFORMANCE SOLID CARBIDE END MILLS

Emuge Corp. recently announced the
introduction of an extensive line of highperformance solid carbide end mills for
applications ranging from universal milling
to aerospace and high hardness machining.
This new line further broadens the depth of
Emuges rotary cutting tool portfolio in the
United States and Canadian metalworking
manufacturing marketplace.
The end mills, branded Emuge-Franken,
are the result of extensive research and
development and incorporate the latest in
end mill technology, geometry, and coatings
and are designed to outperform conventional
end mill offerings. Emuge-Franken end mills
are manufactured in Germany. Franken, as
part of the Emuge-Franken company, has
been developing and manufacturing milling
tools since Emuges foundation nearly 100
years ago.
Emuge is well-known for its high quality/
performance taps and thread mills, but many
people are not aware that Emuge has also
been manufacturing high-performance end
mills since the company was founded, said
Bob Hellinger, president of Emuge Corp.
We have decided to aggressively launch
a comprehensive line of high-performance
mills to broaden our North American tool
portfolio and meet customers increased
demands for high-performance tools in
todays demanding applications.
In addition to the end mills introduction,
beginning in the first quarter of 2016,
Emuge will be offering complete grinding
and reconditioning services for end mill
products as well as other cutting tools at
their West Boylston, Massachusetts, facility.
The new Emuge U.S./Canadian solid
carbide end mill launch includes the
following tool lines:
Top-Cut VAR: a versatile, variable helix
solid carbide inch end mill program
featuring unique geometry and advanced
ALCR PVD coating for universal milling
applications in virtually all materials
Top-Cut: metric end mills for universal
milling applications with variable helix
flutes and TiALN PVD coating, ideal for
both roughing and finishing operations
Multi-Cut : carbide roughing end
mills designed with a unique serrated
cutting-edge chip-breaker technology
for optimum chip evacuation and can
achieve metal removal rates five- to tentimes that of conventional end mills in
a full range of materials

THE SOLUTION

ALD Thermal Treatment, Inc.

Providing the finest metallurgical services in a
wide variety of markets through Vacuum Treatments
and specialized gas quenches.

LEADERS IN THE CONTROL OF DISTORTION

Vacuum Carburizing with High Pressure Gas Quenching
Plasma Carburizing Vacuum High-TemperatureSolution Nitriding Vacuum Hardening Vacuum Brazing
Annealing Normalizing Cryogenic Treatments
Measurement and Testing

GLOBAL SERVICE CENTERS

Limbach
Oberfrohna, Germany
Port Huron
Michigan, USA
Ramos Arizpe
Coahuila, Mexico

www.aldtt.net
www.ald-vt.de
Photo: Buderus Edelstahl GmbH

Enrique Lopez (810) 990-5514 or elopez@aldtt.net

JANUARY 2016

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 TiNOX-Cut: a coolant-fed roughing end mill for demanding

applications such as in exotic materials and aerospace machining;
tools feature variable flute spacing and a serrated chip-breaker
profile for aggressive material removal and a high heat-resistant
multi-layer TiN/TiALN coating
Hard-Cut end mills: specially developed for the machining of
hardened materials up to 66 HRC

Approximately 400 standard end mill SKUs will be stocked in

Emuges West Boylston facility in a full range of sizes, in inch and
metric. A 36-page catalog covering the high-performance line is
available by request and also posted on Emuges website.
emuge.co

GF MACHINING SOLUTIONS INTRODUCES CUT E SERIES OF WIRE EDM

GF Machining Solutions has introduced the
CUT E 350, the first machine in its new
CUT E Series of high-performance and highproductivity wire EDMs. The CUT E Series
incorporates a broad range of technologies to
help manufacturers increase their flexibility and
accelerate their time to market.
The CUT E Series incorporates a new, large
touchscreen human-machine interface (HMI)
that is intuitive in operation and includes
onboard Intelligent Collision Protection,
built-in machining strategies, and flexible
job management.
Information about geometries, machining
processes, and command programs is processed
in a single file. This allows jobs to be transferred
among different machines in the CUT E Series,
with the machines automatically managing all

needed modifications. Additionally, more than

10 automated measurement cycles are available
to assist with workpiece preparation, and the
onboard AC CAM Easy allows an operator to
prepare an ISO file and post-process it into a
job during machining.
The CUT E Series features the modern
Intelligent Power Generator (IPG) to further
improve cutting speed, precision, and surface
quality. The machine can use dedicated wire for
decreased part cost and increased throughput,
and the Power-Expert module automatically
determines the optimal power to send through
the wire, which is especially beneficial in
stepped parts. The Corner Strategy module reduce cutting times by up to 18 percent as
automatically adjusts parameters during compared to standard machines.
changes in direction to produce sharp angels
Machine ergonomics and design have also
and small radii. These features combine to been improved with the CUT E Series. The

GEARING AHEAD TO MEET INDUSTRY'S

DEMAND FOR PRECISION
SERVING
Aircraft Aerospace Actuation
Instrumentation Optic
Robotics Radar Medical
Marine Defense Experimental
Prototype Production
Hi-Performance Automotive

Celebrating 45 Years of Service

ISO 9001-2000 REGISTERED

SINCE 1970

Precision Gear Products (up to AGMA Q14):

Spur Gears, Helical Gears, Worm Gears, Anti-Backlash Gears, Cluster Gears, Clutch Gears,
Face Gears, Planetary Gears, Gear Assemblies, Gear Boxes, Bevel Gears, Miter Gears,
Metric Gears, Internal Gears, Idler Gears, Gear Rack & Pinion, Worms, Wormshafts,
Splines, Spline Shafts, Serrated Shafts.

NEW CNC Thread Grinding

STD Precision Gear & Instrument, Inc.
318 Manley St. W. Bridgewater, MA 02379

(888) STD-GEAR or (508) 580-0035

Fax (888) FAX-4STD or (508) 580-0071

E-mail info@stdgear.com Web site: www.stdgear.com
56

Anneal
Straightening
Quench & Temper
Flame Hardening
Carburize
Solution Anneal
Normalize
Shot blasting
Carbide Removal
Cryogenics
Stress Relieve
Vacuum Heat Treating
Solution Treat and Age of Aluminum/Aerospace Specications
MEMBER

205-681-8595

PVHT.COM

gearsolutions.com

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machines feature a compact, space-saving design that incorporates high

rigidity to enable accurate cutting of large and heavy parts. A drop door
provides easy, convenient access to the table and side-by-side filters are
easily accessible to simplify maintenance.
Integrated glass scales preserve long-term and repeatable accuracy,
require no recalibration, and eliminate errors found in traditional screw

ERIEZ OFFERS CHIP

AND PARTS CONVEYORS
IN A VARIETY OF
MODELS AND SLIDER
BED WIDTHS
Permanent Magnetic Chip and Parts
Conveyors from Eriez safely and reliably
move and elevate ferrous materials such as
chips, turnings, small parts, and stampings.
These units are practically maintenance-free
and innovatively designed to ensure the
highest level of operator safety.
Four frame sizes are available with four
to five standard slider bed widths. For
restricted areas under smaller machines, or
where a relatively small volume of material
is to be moved, the Model 6 only 6
inches (159 mm) deep is ideal. For larger
areas and greater volumes, the Model 9
conveyor 9 inches (235 mm) deep is
recommended.
The Model 12, which is 12 inches (311
mm) deep, provides the magnet power and
large surface area to continuously remove
large quantities of ferrous materials. Where
exceptionally large quantities of chips are
involved up to 10 tons per hour the
21 inch (540 mm) deep Model 21 is the
best choice.
Eriez Tuf-Trac drive system is featured
on conveyor models 6, 9, and 12. The
drive chain rides in an oil impregnated
Ultra High Molecular
Weight (UHMW) track,
designed to operate quietly
and maximize conveyor life.
Tuf-Trac eliminates the need
for oil inside the conveyor
housing.
Besides an externally
mounted drive motor, Eriez
Chip and Parts Conveyors
are self-contained,
with a conveyor
mechanism that
is completely
enclosed.

GS-2016-01.indb 57

systems due to backlash and wear. The CUT E 350 allows use of an
optional large, 25-kg spool to facilitate greater levels of automation and
unmanned machining. It also features a reliable wire circuit system for
unrolling that does not disrupt the EDM process.
gfms.com

With no moving external parts to jam, break, or put personnel at risk for injury,
our units were developed with safety and productivity in mind, said John Mackowski,
metalworking product manager at Eriez.
With a broad assortment of shapes, sizes, and options, Eriez Chip and Parts Conveyors
provide a solution for virtually all application needs and requirements.
eriez.com

Choose from one of our portable

or laboratory systems, or utilize
our ISO 170 5 laboratories for
accurate and efficient contract
measurement services.
For more information contact us at
info@protoxrd.com or 1-313-965-2900

LXRD
STANDARD

LXRD
WIDEBODY

LXRD
MODULAR MAPPING

iXRD
STANDARD

mXRD
ULTRA PORTABLE

LXRD
STANDARD

LXRD
WIDEBODY

LXRD
MODULAR MAPPING

iXRD JANUARY mXRD

2016
STANDARD
ULTRA PORTABLE

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KOROfor Quality

Hob Sharpening Service

Quick Turnaround 2 Day Service

MARKET

PLACE

Manufacturing excellence through

quality, integration, materials,
maintenance, education, and speed.

Spur Shaper Cutter Sharpening

HSS & Carbide Hob with center hole
and straight flutes
Thin Film Coatings
Length up to 7 inches
Diameter up
to 5 Inches
Precise rake
and spacing guaranteed
to AGMA standards
RUSH SERVICE AVAILABLE
Koro Sharpening Service
9530 85th Ave North
Maple Grove, MN 55369
763-425-5247
info@koroind.com

TECHNOLOGY
FIRST CLASS

THINK
OUTSIDE

THE

BOX

MADE BY AMERICAN
CRAFTSMEN IN THE USA

1-800-STORLOC
1-800-786-7562

WWW.STORLOC.COM

VACUUM HEAT TREATING

& BRAZING SERVICES

SERVICING FELLOWS GEAR SHAPERS

On Site Service: Emergency & Scheduled
Technical Support: Via Telephone, Fax or E-mail
Training: Operator, Set-up & Maintenance (Electrical
& Mechanical)
Preventive Maintence Plan: Customized to Your Needs
Parts: New and/or Used
Retrots - Counters, Servo Controllers, or Single and
Multiple Axis CNC
Hydrostatic Guides: Repair Service or Purchase New
Allen Adams
SHAPER SERVICES, Inc.
98 Winery Road
Proctorsville, VT 05153
Telephone: 802-226-7891
Fax: 802-226-7892
E-mail: shaperservices@tds.net

Wev
Movee
d

303-447-1130
www.kapp-niles.com
sales-usa@kapp-niles.com

solaratm.com
Philadelphia Los Angeles
Pittsburgh South Carolina

SHARP HOBS
Change Downtime To Productivity

Custom gear racks in AMERICAN and

METRIC standards, STRAIGHT and
HELICAL, VARIOUS materials, FINE and
COARSE pitch (254 D.P. 0.5 D.P.; 0.10
Module 50 Module); hard-cut (up to
60 Rc) and soft-cut (up to 40 Rc); 32
face width; Up to 82 lengths longer
lengths through resetting
Custom gears in AMERICAN and
METRIC standards (3 D.P. 72 D.P., 10
Diameter)
Precision Quality up to AGMA 12
Prototype & Production quantities
Breakdown Service Available
Reverse Engineering
Unique Tooth Configurations
Heat Treating
Complete CNC Machining

You Need Your Tools Back FAST

Eliminating Downtime &
Tuned To Meet or Surpass
Original Design Specs
and Thats Where We Come In

Stripping & Re-Coating

Gear Shaper Sharpening
Milling Cutter Sharpening
Gear Tool Certifications

Tel: 216-642-5900 Fax: 216-642-8837 5755 Canal Road Valley View, OH 44125
Email: gallen@gallenco.com WWW.GALLENCO.COM

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ADVERTISER

INDEX

CONTENTS

PAGE NO.

Advent Tool & Manufacturing Inc ........................................................59

ALD Thermal Treatment Inc.................................................................55
Allen Adams Shaper Services Inc .......................................................58
All Metals & Forge Group ....................................................................53
Bourn & Koch Inc ................................................................................14
Circle Gear & Machine Co Inc.............................................................10
Engineered Tools Corporation...............................................................2
Gleason .............................................................................................IBC
Index Technologies..............................................................................58
Innovative Rack & Gear.......................................................................58
Ipsen USA ...........................................................................................31
KAPP Technologies ..................................................................... IFC, 58
KISSsoft USA LLC ..............................................................................27
Koro Sharpening Services...................................................................58
Lawler Gear Corporation .....................................................................58
McInnes Rolled Rings .........................................................................39
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America Inc ...........................................BC
New England Gear ................................................................................7
Nordex Inc ...........................................................................................12
Pentagear Products ............................................................................30
Pinson Valley Heat Treating .................................................................56

SPLINE MILLING AND

BROACHING ON TRADITIONAL
CNC EQUIPMENT
Utilizing custom ground form inserts and standard
precision ground tool bodies with a precise insert locking
and locating system, Advent can turn spline hobbing
operations into a true milling scenario!

Proto Manufacturing Ltd .....................................................................57

Rave Gears & Machining.....................................................................19
Raycar Gear & Machine Co ................................................................47
RP Machine Enterprises Inc ......................................................9, 11, 13
Russell Holbrook & Henderson Inc .....................................................27
Schafer Industries ...............................................................................23
Solar Atmospheres ........................................................................25, 58
STD Precision Gear & Instrument Inc .................................................56

MULTI-INDUSTRY SOLUTIONS

Stor-Loc.........................................................................................41, 58
The Broach Masters ..............................................................................4
Toolink Engineering Inc .........................................................................1

advent-threadmill.com
1.800.847.3234

OILFIELD

AUTOMOTIVE

AEROSPACE

United Tool Supply ..............................................................................59

JANUARY 2016

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Q& A

SHAWN OBRIEN
VICE PRESIDENT, SALES AND MARKETING
MCINNES ROLLED RINGS

Each issue, a Gear Solutions editor talks with experienced leaders from companies
across the industry to learn about their offerings, philosophy, technology, processes,
and customer relationships.
Tell us a little about yourself and how long youve
been with McInnes Rolled Rings.
Ive been with McInnes Rolled Rings for 22 years, starting as an inside
sales associate and then working in the field as a direct sales representative in the Midwest and Northeastern territories before returning to
Erie, Pennsylvania, as general sales manager in 1999.

Please give us a brief description about McInnes.

Our chief mission is to combine the latest in ring rolling technology
with an experienced team in order to offer the best value in our industry
for seamless rolled rings. Every day, we are focusedon remaining the
fastest in our industry from the time we receive your inquiry to the
time we ship your order.
We are AS9100C, ISO 9001:2008, and Pressure Equipment Directive
(PED) certified, and we will be adding the ABS Certification to this
list in 2016.
We serve a range of industries including power transmission, ball and
roller bearing, oil and gas, power generation, and a variety of special
industry equipment manufacturers and fabricators.

What products and capabilities does McInnes offer

to its customers?
We are focused exclusively on un-machined forgings with rectangular
cross sections. This focus on our core competency enables us to continually refine our process and improve efficiency. This approach also
prevents a scenario where we are competing with our customer base,
many of whom are machine shops. We have three different ring mill
centers, each with their own furnaces, presses, and material handling
equipment. We are surrounded by world-class material suppliers. Three
major suppliers are located within 100 miles of our plant. This proximity gives us the flexibility to release material based on what we book
each day, and we often unload it directly to our saws.

What products do you offer that are specific to the

gear industry?
We offer seamless rolled ring forgings from 4-inch to 144-inch outside
diameters and forged discs up to 54 inches in diameter in carbon, alloy,
and stainless steel. Our equipment is especially effective on heavy walled
(washer-type) rings for spiral bevel and bull gears and thrust bearings.

How does McInnes stand out from others in the

same industry?
We are privately owned by members of top management who are
dedicated to investing in the latest technology to remain the fastest
in the industry. We have a team-oriented customer-focused group
of associates who have shared productivity and profitability goals.
All associates are stakeholders in the outcome of our goals. Each

team benefits from goal achievement through profit sharing and

productivity bonuses.
We were the first to promise delivery in days not weeks. Every
customer, large or small, is offered the same fast delivery. This isnt
a special program; it is simply the way we do business, and there is
never a premium. This speed isnt exclusive to our manufacturing
floor, but a focus in all areas of our business. Our fast quoting gives
our customers an edge when responding to their customers. We quote
everyone in less than four hours. If you are a small job shop, you can
expect the same service as our most established customers.
Overall, we keep it simple by focusing on what we do best. We are in
this for the long haul, so we dont chase projects or programs that are
disruptive to our culture. Instead of being all things to all customers,
we would rather be the absolute best choice for customers that buy
what we make. This results in mutually beneficial and sustainable
relationships with our customers. If you read through the testimonials
on our website, youll discover the high level of satisfaction that results
from this approach.

Please describe the advantages you offer your

customers.
Our consistent speed and ongoing reliability helps our customers effectively manage their inventory. Our customers know that our reliability
enables them to eliminate stocking programs and speculative purchases.
During busy times, having a fully cross-trained team working on ring
mills with a large overlap in size capacity minimizes the risk of delays
caused by spikes in demand or maintenance activity. During turbulent
times, maintaining a full staff and material inventory ensures stability.

Whats in the future for McInnes?

This month, we will be completing a major heat treat expansion that
will enable us to quench and temper forgings up to 144 inches in
diameter. This 25,000-square-foot addition houses separate water and
polymer tanks and utilizes a state-of-the-art material handling system
to ensure consistency when transferring product from the furnace to
the quench media. Not only does this addition give us the ability to
quench and temper every size that we can roll, but it also provides
a backup to our existing heat treat bay. The additional tonnage that
can be processed on a daily basis will eliminate bottlenecks and help
us maintain the fastest deliveries during times of peak demand.

Is there anything else youd like to tell our readers?

We are a proud supplier member of the AGMA. If we havent done
business yet, I would encourage you to ask a colleague about us or
simply send us an RFQ. Were dedicated to the gear industry, and we
are investing to better serve your needs. I look forward to seeing you
at the next AGMA event.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Go to www.mcinnesrolledrings.com to learn more about McInnes Rolled Rings.

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ONLY ONE SOURCE HAS

THE COMPLETE SOLUTION.
For soft and hard finishing of internal and external
cylindrical gears up to 700 mm in diameter.
Simulation software for cutter pre-design and process
analysis.
Advanced cutting tools and universal workholding.
First part right with cutter setting device.
Automation including deburring and automatic tool change.
Available on Gleason bevel gear cutting machines
on request.

Weve put more power into Power Skiving.

Visit www.gleason.com/PS.

www.gleason.com sales@gleason.com

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Our Technologies, Your Tommorow

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2014 Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America

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