CNC Lathe: An Alternative to Dedicated Hobbing Machines
10.08.2013
Manufacturers who are involved in gear machining have typically faced a dilemma. A dedicated hobbing machine was the only option for gear production, but it can be difficult to justify this expense unless your production quantities are high enough. On top of this, you may even need multiple hobbers if your gear sizes vary considerably. A CNC lathe could well be your answer. Today these machines can be used for much more than turning. Okuma offers a hobbing option for CNC lathes that allows the syncing of the spindle and M-tool to produce gears or splines.
Hobbing on a CNC Lathe Provides Several Advantages
- No need for a dedicated gear shaping machine – adding a gear hobbing unit to your CNC lathe is much more economical
- You can often machine the part to completion with just one setup
- Straight or helical splines can be machined
- It’s easy to set up and program the hob function
- You can disengage the hob without damage to the cutter by using the “Emergency Return” function
Hobb-It!
By simply adding an option to your CNC lathe, you can you can minimize equipment investments and floor space usage, maintain quality, and reduce work in process by finishing the part in one setup. Contact us, or your local distributor, if you’d like to learn more about hobbing on the lathe.
To watch our video demonstration on the hobbing function on a CNC lathe, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJ_S1CzMsbw.
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