Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation

George D Mitchell, Jr

Edward H Bittner

Walter S Koscomb, Iii

Ronald S Taylor

A gear shaper machine system drives and maneuvers a hone tool to generate teeth geometry in a manner the teeth were machined prior to a hardening process. After heat treatment, the hone tool is indexed to the teeth geometry spacing of the workpiece so as to divide the stock removal evenly between the drive and coast sides. The hone tool may be driven with rotational and reciprocating synchronous teeth generating motion in which the hone tool reciprocates along the length of the teeth parallel to the centerline of the workpiece while the workpiece and hone tool rotate with synchronous motion.

System and method for precision machining of high hardness gear teeth and splines

A masking tool (60) for use in combination with a shaped-workpiece (30.sub.S) in the manufacture of a precision gear (10), which shaped workpiece (30.sub.S) defines a plurality of gear teeth (12) and tooth space surfaces (68) defined by and between adjacent gear teeth (12). The masking tool (60) is, furthermore, operative to mask the tooth space surfaces (68) during surface deposition of a masking material (28) while facilitating deposition of the masking material (28) upon the top lands (14) of the gear teeth (12). The masking tool includes a flexible back-plate (64) and a plurality of compliant masking segments (62) bonded to and integrated by the flexible back-plate (64). Each of the compliant masking segments (62) define a surface geometry (66) which is substantially complementary to the respective tooth space surface (68). Furthermore, adjacent compliant masking segments (62) define an open-ended channel (70) therebetween. In use, the masking tool (60) is forcibly urged in combination with the precision gear (10) such that the compliant masking segments (62) are disposed in superposed engagement with the tooth space surfaces (68) for prohibiting deposition of the masking material thereupon, and the open-ended channels (70) permit deposition of the masking material (28) on the top lands (14) of the gear teeth (12). The masking tool (60) is fabricated by: forming an accurate representation of the shaped workpiece (30.sub.S); preparing a surface of a flexible back-plate (64) so as to promote adhesion; situating the flexible back-plate (64) proximal to the gear teeth (12); and, forming a compliant material (62.sub.M) between the flexible back-plate (64) and the tooth space surfaces (68) so as to produce the compliant masking segments (62).

Masking tool for manufacturing precision gears and method for making the

A masking tool (60) for use in combination with a shaped-workpiece (30.sub.S) in the manufacture of a precision gear (10), which shaped workpiece (30.sub.S) defines a plurality of gear teeth (12) and tooth space surfaces (68) defined by and between adjacent gear teeth (12). The masking tool (60) is, furthermore, operative to mask the tooth space surfaces (68) during surface deposition of a masking material (28) while facilitating deposition of the masking material (28) upon the top lands (14) of the gear teeth (12). The masking tool includes a flexible back-plate (64) and a plurality of compliant masking segments (62) bonded to and integrated by the flexible back-plate (64). Each of the compliant masking segments (62) define a surface geometry (66) which is substantially complementary to the respective tooth space surface (68). Furthermore, adjacent compliant masking segments (62) define an open-ended channel (70) therebetween. In use, the masking tool (60) is forcibly urged in combination with the precision gear (10) such that the compliant masking segments (62) are disposed in superposed engagement with the tooth space surfaces (68) for prohibiting deposition of the masking material thereupon, and the open-ended channels (70) permit deposition of the masking material (28) on the top lands (14) of the gear teeth (12). A method for manufacturing the masking tool (60) is also disclosed comprising the steps of: forming an accurate representation of the shaped workpiece (30.sub.S); preparing a surface of a flexible back-plate (64) so as to promote adhesion; situating the flexible back-plate (64) proximal to the gear teeth (12); and, forming a compliant material (62.sub.M) between the flexible back-plate (64) and the tooth space surfaces (68) so as to produce the compliant masking segments (62).

Masking tool for manufacturing precision gears

A method for manufacturing precision gears (10) including an initial step of providing a shaped workpiece (30.sub.S) defining a plurality of gear teeth (12) and, furthermore, defining a tooth space surface (68) defined by and between adjacent gear teeth (12). Next, a masking tool (60) is assembled in combination with the shaped workpiece (30.sub.S), which masking tool (60) includes a flexible back-plate (64) and plurality of compliant masking segments (62) bonded to and integrated by the flexible back-plate. Each of the compliant masking segments (62) defines a surface geometry (66) which is substantially complementary to the tooth space surface (68), and adjacent compliant masking segments (62) define an open-ended channel (70) therebetween. As assembled, the compliant masking segments (62) are forcibly urged into superposed engagement with the tooth space surfaces (68). In a subsequent step, a layer of masking material (28) is deposited on exposed surfaces of the shaped workpiece (30.sub.S) by an immersion process wherein the open-ended channels (70) of the masking tool (60) facilitate deposition of the masking material (28) on the top lands (14) of the gear teeth (12). The masking tool (60) is then removed from the material-masked workpiece (30.sub.MM) in preparation for a subsequent hardening step. Final steps of the method include hardening of the material-masked workpiece (30.sub.MM), and stripping of the masking material (28) from the hardened workpiece (30.sub.H).

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Oxford, CT, United States of America

George D Mitchell, Jr