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Which Is Better for You, A Gear Grinder Or A Shaver?

Views: 100     Author: Site Editor     Publish Time: 2024-12-13      Origin: Site

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Gear manufacturing is a highly competitive market within the manufacturing sector. From gear shaping and grinding to gear cutting and hobbing, we need to offer a variety of services to meet the diverse needs and requirements of our clients.

To provide superior gear shaping, grinding, and shaving services, companies must find the right machine tools that can satisfy the production demands of their customers.

What is a Gear Grinding Machine?

Typically, the gear grinding process is performed after gear cutting and heat treatment to achieve high hardness. For parts with hardness exceeding 350 HB (38 HRC), grinding is essential because cutting becomes extremely difficult at such hardness levels.

gear-grinding-machine

What is a Gear Shaving Machine?

Gear shaving modifies the shape of gears to reduce noise. These modifications can also enhance the load-carrying capacity, safety factor, and lifespan of the gears. Gear finishing (shaving) should not be confused with gear cutting (rough machining).

gear-shaving-machine

Comparison of Gear Grinding Machines and Gear Shaving Machines

Gear grinding machines and gear shaving machines are two critical pieces of equipment in gear finishing, differing significantly in their methods, applicability, precision levels, and economic factors.

Gear Types

Gear Shaving Machine: Primarily used for unhardened gears (hardness typically not exceeding HRC48), suitable for finishing straight, helical, and internal gears. For some special structured gears, such as those with shoulders or small module gears, shaving may be the only option.

Gear Grinding Machine: Typically used for hardened gears after heat treatment (hardness up to HRC60 and above), capable of processing various types of gears including straight, helical, bevel gears, etc., achieving very high precision levels.

Limitations

Gear Shaving Machine: Since shaving occurs before heat treatment, it cannot correct deformations caused by heat treatment. Additionally, shaving has limited ability to correct long-period errors and might introduce new errors.

Gear Grinding Machine: Although grinding can eliminate or reduce deformations caused by heat treatment, it is more expensive, takes longer, and may not be suitable for certain complex-shaped gears.

Advantages

Advantages of Gear Shaving Machines

High Efficiency

Fast processing speed and high productivity, ideal for batch production.

Lower Cost

 Relatively lower costs for equipment and tooling, along with reduced maintenance expenses.

Flexibility

Parameters can be adjusted to optimize tooth profile and lead, reducing transmission noise.

Adaptability

Capable of handling multiple specifications of gears and easily integrated into automated production lines.

Advantages of Gear Grinding Machines

Higher Precision

Can achieve extremely high levels of precision, often reaching DIN 4 or better.

Superior Surface Finish

Provides an exceptionally smooth surface finish on gears, enhancing performance.

Stability

The grinding process is stable, ensuring consistency and reliability.

Versatility

Suitable for both soft and hardened gears, especially in applications requiring ultra-high precision.

Processing Accuracy

Gear Shaving Machine: Shaving achieves DIN 7 or 8 level accuracy (ISO 1328 standard), sufficient for most industrial applications. However, for noise-sensitive applications or those requiring high transmission efficiency, this level of precision may not be adequate.

Gear Grinding Machine: Grinding can achieve higher precision, often reaching DIN 4 or better, suitable for precision gear manufacturing in industries like aerospace and automotive.

Surface Finish

Gear Shaving Machine: Provides good surface finish but not as smooth as grinding. Shaving can leave slight textures on the gear surface that might affect operational noise.

Gear Grinding Machine: Offers an extremely smooth surface, reducing friction and noise during operation, extending gear life, and increasing load-bearing capacity.

Process Complexity

Gear Shaving Machine: Relatively simple process, easy to operate without complex programming or setup. It relies on the relative motion between the shaving tool and the gear.

Gear Grinding Machine: Involves more detailed parameter settings, such as wheel selection, feed rate, grinding depth, etc. Modern grinders often come with automated control systems to ensure consistency and repeatability.

Economic Considerations

Gear Shaving Machine: Due to its fast speed and low cost, shaving offers significant economic advantages in batch production. It is a cost-effective choice for applications that do not require extremely high precision.

Gear Grinding Machine: While offering higher precision and better surface quality, grinding usually means higher equipment investment, longer processing time, and higher operating costs. Therefore, when choosing grinding, the added value of the product must cover the increased costs.

Environmental Factors

Gear Shaving Machine: Generally does not involve coolant usage, thus having a smaller environmental impact.

Gear Grinding Machine: Requires large amounts of coolant to control temperature and remove swarf, which adds to waste liquid treatment costs and potential environmental burdens.

Equipment Maintenance

Gear Shaving Machine: Slower tool wear, lower maintenance needs, mainly involving cleaning and lubrication.

Gear Grinding Machine: Wheels need regular dressing and replacement, and the complex internal structure requires more maintenance work, necessitating professional inspections and adjustments.

Technological Trends

Gear Shaving Machine: With advancements in material science, the development of new shaving tools has optimized the shaving process, improving efficiency and precision.

Gear Grinding Machine: Grinding technology is evolving towards intelligence and efficiency, incorporating multi-axis CNC systems, adaptive control technologies, and online measurement feedback mechanisms to improve processing quality and flexibility.


In summary, choosing between shaving and grinding depends on specific application scenarios, precision requirements, production scale, and budget considerations. For certain specialized applications, such as aerospace and high-performance automotive transmissions, grinding may be the only option to meet stringent technical standards; whereas for other applications where precision requirements are less stringent, shaving might be more appropriate for batch production.


Wuxi Geepro Gear Technology Co.,Ltd. was founded in 2016, with the research and development, processing and sales of gears and gear machinery and equipment as the main business direction.

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