Posted by BillS on July 18, 2007 at 13:06:23:
In Reply to: Re: Is it possible to cut Bevel Gears with the Wolf GH32-11 posted by max on July 17, 2007 at 08:55:42:
I've never heard of a successful process to cut bevel gears on a gear hob. I think the main reason (outside of the angles involved) is that the hob is a fixed-pitch tool whereas machines that cut bevels typically use two cutters to achieve the varying pitch that bevel design requires from OD to toe. If you look at a spur bevel you will see the difference in pitch as you traverse a tooth/tooth space, even for small pitch angles.
This pitch variation is not necessarily true of spiral bevel gears, but spirals would definitely be impossible on a gear hobbing machine.