Method of producing a crown wheel

Method of producing a conical or cup-shaped crown wheel which can mesh with a characteristic cylindrical pinion having a tooth profile and a pinion center, which pinion has an axis of rotation which intersects or crosses the axis of rotation of the crown wheel with the inclusion of an angle .alpha. deviating from 90 degrees, the method comprising a generating process in which a tool and a workpiece rotate at a constant ratio of rotation speeds and are moved relative to each other in such a manner that the tool continuously works the workpiece, wherein the tool comprises a disc which is rotatable about its rotation shaft and has machining elements disposed on its circumference whose cutting edges lie in the surface of a profile which extends essentially in the form of helical ribs at a pitch angle .gamma. around the circumference of the disc, said ribs forming in each cross-sectional plane perpendicular to the helical direction of the ribs a profile section having the shape of a number of adjacent cutting teeth which have a profile center point, the shape of the profile section being based on the basic geometry of the characteristic cylindrical pinion and said profile center point being identical to said pinion center and lying on a circle in a plane perpendicular to the rotation shaft of the tool, which circle has a circle center point lying on the rotation shaft of the tool, which circle center point forms a tool center point of the tool, wherein the tool is positioned relative to the workpiece in such a way that at least for one point during the working of the workpiece the profile center point of the adjacent cutting teeth which are working the workpiece lies essentially in a first plane defined by the axis of rotation of the workpiece and the tool center point, and wherein the tool is moved with respect to the workpiece throughout the working of the workpiece such that the profile center point of the adjacent cutting teeth which are working the workpiece is moved in a first straight line which intersects or crosses the axis of rotation of the workpiece with the inclusion of the angle .alpha..