The present work aims to provide the readers with a bird’s-eye view of the general domain of cylindrical gear manufacturing technologies, including the cutting tools used, and related topics. The main scientific sources are explored to collect data about the subject. A systematization of the scientific works is completed, to emphasize the main issues the researchers have focused on in the past years in the domain. Several specific aspects are investigated: chip-forming process, cutting tool lifetime, the materials used to produce gear hobs, temperature and lubrication, the cutting tool geometry, cutting parameters, design methods, and optimization. Some gaps in the research have been identified, which are mainly related to the gear hob’s design. These gaps, the organization of knowledge, the current requirements of the industry, and the actual socio-economic priorities form the basis for identifying new scientific research directions for the future in the area of spur gears manufacturing technologies and cutting tools. The main output of this work is a frame to guide the development of scientific research in the domain of spur gear production.

Gear hobs are the most widely and frequently used gear cutting tools. During the time passed between the moment of invention (Schiele, 1876) and the present, gear hobs reached a considerable evolution regarding the geometry, the profile of the edge, the relieving technologies finalizing in the latest constructive and design solutions. This paper deals with the calculus of the edge profile in the case the basic worm of the hob has involute helicoid surfaces. In order to obtain a constant grinding allowance on the relief faces of the gear hob teeth it is necessary to compute the edge of the roughing relieving cutter. The equations are deduced considering that the provenience involute worm is a one teethed helical gear with shifted profile. The presented mathematical model proves that linearizing the relieving cutter profile is not an adequate solution if aspiring to higher precision.

The aim of the paper is to present an evaluation of a new mixed CAD modeling method, capable to universally build surfaces and solid models of gears. The proposed CAD solution builds gear models, primary not for a visual simulation of the gearing processes, but for complex gearing- and FEA studies in virtual environment. Localization of the contact paths of gear pairs, virtual kinematic evaluations, rapid verification of newly developed gear types and FEA analysis requires satisfactorily precise surface and solid models. The known NURBS modeling methods are mainly based on the analytical equations of the flanks of the teeth surfaces. The bottom and tip surfaces of the teeth, are very important in meshing and FEA studies, and generally cannot be built from the meshing equations. As the new mixed modeling method proposes a simplified and quick CAD modeling procedure, with flexible modeling options like rapid tool profile modifications, an evaluation of the obtained models must be made, from both: generating time and precision point of view. For this purpose, a model of a spur cylindrical gear (generated by a convolute helical hob) is built using the Solid Boolean Subtraction method and is compared with the gear generating process using a new mixed CAD method

This paper presents a study regarding the gear hob’s rake face grinding possibilities and its consequences. A simple theoretical lined surface is considered. The mathematical model of the reciprocate meshing of surfaces was applied. It was proven that the proposed form of the rake face cannot be obtained because an undercut of inacceptable extent occurs. It is also proven and sustained by CAD modeling that using a simplified, flat grinding disk, the undercut is avoided, but the phenomenon of transection appears.

This paper deals with the geometric built-up of a theoretically profile errorless shaper cutter. Its proposed rake face is a cylindrical surface for each tooth. The setting parameters of this are the axis inclination angle and the grinding wheel’s radius. The possible domain of the setting parameters is computed from geometrical restrictive conditions. The proposed numerical evaluation consists in the computing of the orthogonal rake angle variation, together with the deviation of the generating pro-file from the perfect involute. The obtained results allow the formulation of some conclusions regarding the influence of the cylinder radius and the axis inclination: the best rake angle distributions are obtained when using increased radius values, while profile deviation becomes minimal when using smaller radii and axis inclination angles.