The automotive industry is consistently pushing forward electromobility. This, in turn, has implications for manufacturing technology. More and more intricate and lightweight parts need to be processed. What is the most economical way to machine battery components? What challenges are involved in gear and transmission manufacturing? These and other questions will be some of the key issues at EMO Hannover 2023. Answers will be provided by machine tool and tooling manufacturers, and by researchers. Gear noise is a key quality feature in transmissions for electrically driven vehicles. The relatively loud combustion engine’s days are numbered, and so the focus is now shifting to the amount of noise generated by the other drive components, with gears representing the greatest source. Klingelnberg GmbH from Hückeswagen has adapted its production system accordingly and is showcasing the result at EMO Hannover. The company’s primary focus is on gear grinding as well as quality assurance. "In gear grinding, Quiet Surface Shifting (QSS) provides an intelligent dressing and grinding strategy for breaking up the regular grinding structures on the gear surface, thus yielding improved noise behavior," explains Dr. Christof Gorgels, Vice President Technology and Innovation at Klingelnberg . "The single flank rolling test in all its different forms facilitates realistic noise testing of gears within the grinding cycle.” The deviation analysis conducted as part of the precision measurement also allows waviness to be evaluated as a regular element of the form error. This highlights noise-critical deviations on the tooth flank and allows corrective measures to be defined. Combining all three systems to form a closed loop allows close monitoring and correction of the manufacturing process. Here, the single flank rolling test provides full monitoring of the grinding process. "This allows noisy components to be detected immediately and then rejected and fed to the precision measurement," adds Gorgels. "The measurement then quantifies the deviations. Ideally, the processing machine can then be automatically corrected as a direct result. The result is a short and fast control loop for quiet gearing."
