Method of gaging on gear lapping and testing machines
AssigneeThe Gleason Works
InventorWilliam McGlasson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system to replace or augment the common manual cone-gage method with a method that is highly automated on a CNC machine. Two cone-gage fixtures are employed, getting clamped into the gear and pinion workholding fixtures, respectively. But instead of mechanical contact, dial indicators, or other methods, a precision electronic touch probe is employed that, together with the CNC motion-controlled machine axes, can be used to measure and position gage fixture surfaces.
Claims21
Gaging components for determining the position of machine axes in a gear lapping or gear testing machine, said gaging components comprising at least one of:
- (a) a pinion cone gage fixture for clamping into a pinion workholding apparatus of the lapping or testing machine, said pinion cone gage fixture having a shank and a back mounting face generally the same as the shank and back mounting face of an actual pinion member to be lapped or tested, said pinion cone gage fixture further including a probe having a tip with a tip center, said probe being mounted in the pinion cone gage fixture whereby said tip center lies in a predetermined position relative to the pinion cone gage fixture, and,
- (b) a gear cone gage fixture for clamping into a ring gear workholding apparatus of the lapping or testing machine, said gear cone gage fixture having a bore and a back seating surface generally the same as the bore and back seating surface of an actual ring gear member to be lapped or tested, said gear cone gage fixture further including a front surface with an axis gaging target protruding outwardly from the front surface, said axis gaging target having an outer surface and a bore, said bore having a diameter larger than the diameter of said probe tip.
A method of gaging to determine the position of machine axes in a machine for lapping or testing gears, said machine comprising a pinion spindle and a ring gear spindle with each spindle being rotatable about a respective axis of rotation, said pinion and gear spindles being movable with respect to one another in up to three mutually perpendicular directions (X, Y, Z), said method comprising:
- providing a pinion cone gage fixture releasably secured in said pinion spindle, said pinion cone gage fixture having a shank and a back mounting face generally the same as the shank and back mounting face of an actual pinion member to be lapped or tested, said pinion cone gage fixture further including a probe having a tip with a tip center, said probe being mounted in the pinion cone gage fixture whereby said tip center lies in a predetermined position relative to the pinion cone gage fixture,
- providing a gear cone gage fixture releasably secured in said ring gear spindle, said gear cone gage fixture having a bore and a back seating surface generally the same as the bore and back seating surface of an actual ring gear member to be lapped or tested, said gear cone gage fixture further including a front surface with an axis gaging target protruding outwardly from the front surface, said axis gaging target having an outer surface and a bore, said bore having an inner surface, a flat bottom portion and a diameter larger than the diameter of said probe tip,
- moving said probe tip within said bore in said up to three mutually perpendicular directions (X, Y, Z) to contact said flat bottom portion and predetermined locations on said inner surface of said bore so as to establish gear-cone, offset and pinion-cone positions.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.