Simulation of Cutting Face-Hobbed Bevel Gears Based on a Ring-Dexel Model

Abstract The face hobbing method, renowned for its high precision and production efficiency, is a primary technique for mass-producing hypoid gears in automatic industrial applications. This method can be implemented effectively on a modern six-axis CNC bevel gear-cutting machine. However, due to the complicated machining movement of multiple nonlinear axes, it is challenging but essential to conduct cutting simulations to validate the accuracy of the given machining positions. Even some commercial software can do cutting simulations for face hobbing machining; the settings are very complicated, and thus, integrating them into the human machine interface program of CNC machine presents many challenges. Additionally, the cutting feed rates provided by the ongoing CNC codes may not be optimal, necessitating manual adjustments by an engineer to improve machining efficiency. Material removal rate (MRR) is closely related to machining power, making it a valuable metric for optimizing cutting feed rates. However, there have been few studies in this area due to the complexity of face-hobbing processing. This paper aims to establish a mathematical model for face hobbing simulation based on a modified ring-dexel model. Many rings are arranged in the model to discretize the gear blank and to solve the tooth surface cutting points. These points can be used further to construct the surface geometry of the produced gear using triangle meshes. The volume of material removed is determined, enabling the calculation of the volume removal rate as a basis for optimizing cutting feed rates.