Hobbing tool with replaceable cutting inserts

A hobbing tool comprising:

• a hob body including a plurality of axially extending slots;
• a top flange and a bottom flange attached to the hob body;
• at least one cassette removably disposed in at least one of the plurality of axially extending slots, the at least one cassette including at least one seating recess having at least a bottom abutment surface and two side abutment surfaces;
• at least one cutting insert removably mounted in the at least one seating recess, the at least one cutting insert having at least one bottom supporting surface and two side supporting surfaces that abut the bottom abutment surface and the two side abutment surfaces when the at least one cutting insert is received in the at least one seating recess;
• and
• a plurality of cassettes removably mounted in the plurality of axially extending slots each of the plurality of cassettes being identical, wherein the hob body includes a corresponding number of of slots as cassettes, wherein the top flange has a bottom end facing the hob body and the bottom flange has a top end facing the hob body, and the bottom end of the top flange and the top end of the bottom flange each having a corresponding plurality of top recesses and bottom recesses for receiving top ends and bottom ends, respectively, of respective ones of the plurality of cassettes, each recess of at least one of the plurality of top recesses in the top flange and the plurality of bottom recesses in the bottom flange having a different axial depth than any other recess of the at least one of the plurality of top recesses in the top flange and the plurality of bottom recesses in the bottom flange.