It is not the case that the manufacturer will accept any geometry by the designer. This is especially the case where standard cutting tools are used to reduce costs. It therefore impacts on the design geometry that can be achieved. So how do we better harmonize these stages?
Optimization is an important objective as it can save time and costs and enhance the performance characteristics of the end product.
This subject is tackled in an article by Dr. Massimiliano Turci in Gear Solutions magazine Read on
The article addresses three viewpoints:-
Firstly looking at the design optimization techniques adopted in different companies.
Second, a look at manufacturing and software enabling semi-automatic selection of hobbing and pinion tools with a case with more than 10,000 hobs harmonized into a single computer database.
Thirdly, companies that have both a design and manufacturing departments, a design optimization with a list of cutting tools as a main boundary.
The article discusses the issues and problems involved in achieving greater optimization and some solutions. No new formulas or technologies are presented. It’s basically about good practice and offers up some real world cases that have been encountered showcasing techniques and methodology already on-hand.