Rolling flat cutter and method of rolling thereby

In a method of working the surface of a workpiece having a cylindrical outer periphery by using a flat cutter, comprising the steps of placing the workpiece between a pair of flat cutters disposed such that a plurality of corrugated working blades of each cutter face each other, and moving said flat cutters rectilinearly with respect to each other in opposite directions perpendicular to a direction in which said working blades extend so that a peripheral portion of said workpiece can be rolled, said rolling flat cutters each comprising a rectangular cutter body extending in a longitudinal direction, said rolling flat cutter having a generally triangular blade base formed as a higher step with a lateral side thereof extending along a straight line parallel with a diagonal on one side of a plane of said cutter body whereby said blade base is narrowest at one longitudinal end of said cutter body and widest at the other longitudinal end of said cutter body, and said finishing blades being formed on said blade base and extending in a direction perpendicular to said longitudinal direction, said one longitudinal end at which the narrowest part of said blade base is located comprising a leading end of said cutter body, the improvement comprising:

• forming all of said working blades as finishing blades corresponding to corrugation of a product to be obtained by working said workpiece;
• and
• moving said flat cutters rectilinearly in opposite directions perpendicular to said direction in which said finishing blades extend and progressively forming said corrugation on said peripheral portion of said workpiece by advancing said cutters along an axial direction of said workpiece.

A rolling flat cutter comprising:

• a rectangular cutter body;
• a substantially triangular body base portion formed as a higher step with a lateral side thereof extending along a straight line parallel with a diagonal on one side or a plane of said cutter body;
• and
• a plurality of corrugated finishing blades which are formed on the upper surface of said blade base portion and are extended in the direction perpendicular to the rolling direction of a workpiece upon rolling machining,
• wherein said finishing blades are formed in a manner such that each top surface thereof inclines at a predetermined transverse relief angle so that a height of each blade is higher than a horizontal surface from one end to the other end thereof on the side of said diagonal of said blade base portion and at the same time, an edge of each of said finishing blades at said other end on the side of said diagonal is formed in the direction perpendicular to the moving direction of said cutter body upon rolling machining.

A rolling machining method by a rolling flat cutter comprising a rectangular cutter body, a substantially triangular blade base portion formed as a higher step with a lateral side thereof extending along a straight line parallel with a diagonal on one side or a plane of said cutter body, and a plurality of corrugated finishing blades which are formed on the upper surface of said blade base portion and are extended in the direction perpendicular to the rolling direction of a workpiece having a cylindrical outer periphery upon rolling machining, wherein said finishing blades are formed in a manner such that each top surface thereof inclines at a predetermined transverse relief angle so that a height of each blade is higher than a horizontal surface from one end to the other end thereof on the side of said diagonal of said blade base portion and at the same time, an edge of each of said finishing blades at said other end on the side of said diagonal is formed in the direction perpendicular to the moving direction of said cutter body upon rolling machining, said method comprising the steps of:

• arranging a pair of said rolling flat cutters so that the blade base portions face each other;
• disposing the workpiece between said opposite blade base portions with the axis of the workpiece parallel to the direction in which said finishing blades extend;
• rectilinearly moving said pair of rolling flat cutters in opposite directions;
• and
• thereby rolling machining splines on the cylindrical outer periphery of said workpiece.