Forming of lightweight helical gears by means of sheet-bulk metal forming

Abstract. A rising demand on resource efficient and highly functional products causes conventional metal forming processes to the reach their limits. For this reason, sheet-bulk metal forming (SBMF) for the production of thin-walled components with various filigree functional elements has been widely investigated in recent years. However, there is a research gap in the understanding of approaches within this process class for producing helical gears. These are in high demand in industrial environments due to their smooth running capabilities. In this study, a process combination of deep drawing and lateral extrusion for the production of helical lightweight gears is therefore examined. In the reference variant, the mild deep-drawing steel DC04 with a sheet thickness of t0 = 2.0 mm is formed with a 20° helical die. General process limits are derived depending on the die filling of the tool-side cavities. In addition, the influence of the gear angle on process and component target variables is analyzed and discussed.