Machining simulation of point-contact curvilinear cylindrical gears based on six-axis CNC milling machine tools

The point-contact curvilinear cylindrical gear is a novel gear in the parallel shaft transmission systems. Traditional machine tools are difficult to handle the efficient manufacturing of such gears. In this paper, a six-axis CNC milling machine tool with the face-milling cutter are used to carry out the simulation of machining processes of the gear. Firstly, the mathematical model of the tooth surface is derived based on the theory of gearing, and the point cloud data of the tooth surface is solved by the mathematical model. Furthermore, the solid model of the gear is built in 3D software based on the point cloud data. Secondly, building the CNC gear milling machine tool and the face-milling tool in VERICUT software, and then, writing the CNC program for the machining simulation of the gear. Finally, the precision of the be-generated gear is analyzed by the original gear model. The results show that the point-contact curvilinear cylindrical gear can be manufactured by the six-axis CNC milling machine tool and the face-milling cutter. This study can establish the foundation for the efficient manufacturing and industrialized application of the point-contact curvilinear cylindrical gears.