Method and tool for manufacturing face gears

A method of manufacturing a face gear, said face gear having a plurality of tooth slots with each tooth slot comprising first and second tooth surfaces, said method comprising:

• providing a face gear workpiece having an axis of rotation;
• providing a disk-shaped tool having a circumference and an axis of rotation, said tool having one or more stock removing surfaces positioned on the circumference with the stock-removing surfaces being oriented generally perpendicular to said axis of rotation and defining a generating plane;
• positioning said tool and said workpiece relative to one another for generating one of said first or second tooth surfaces on said workpiece;
• rotating said tool about said axis of rotation and feeding said tool relatively into said face gear workpiece;
• generating one of said first or second tooth surfaces on said workpiece by moving the tool and workpiece relative to each other;
• wherein said generating comprises rotating said work piece about its axis of rotation and rotating said tool about an axis of rotation of a virtual pinion in mesh with said face gear workpiece, said tool and generating plane describing a generating roll which emulates the rolling motion of a tooth of said virtual pinion rotating in mesh with said face gear workpiece during said generating,
• wherein said method comprises no traversing feed motion.