Designing and Manufacturing Spiral Bevel Gears Using 5-Axis CNC Milling Machines

The design of spiral bevel gears still remains complex since tooth geometry and the resulting kinematics performance stem directly from the manufacturing process. Spiral bevel gear manufacture owes most to the works of Gleason and Klingelnberg. However, recent advances in milling machine technology and CAM (Computer Aided Manufacturing) make it possible to manufacture good quality spiral bevel gears on a standard 5-axis milling machine. This paper describes the CAD definition and manufacturing of spiral bevel gear tooth surfaces. Process performance is assessed by comparing the resulting surfaces after machining with the pre-defined CAD surfaces. Using this manufacturing process allows to propose new type of geometry. This one is more theoretical and, in some respects, easier to design than the standard spiral bevel gear as it enables simpler mesh optimization. The latter can be achieved by using the model of meshing under load recalled in this paper.