The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jul. 28, 1998
Filed:
May. 02, 1997
George D Mitchell, Jr, Oxford, CT (US);
Edward H Bittner, Madison, CT (US);
Walter S Koscomb, III, Sandy Hook, CT (US);
Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, Stratford, CT (US);
Abstract
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).