Gear forming

Claim 2

A mechanism for pressure-forming teeth on the periphery of a cylindrical workpiece, said mechanism comprising oppositely disposed fixed support members; a planetary gear set including carrier members rotatably mounted on said fixed support members, an outer ring gear rotatably mounted intermediate said carrier members, a plurality of exterior toothed forming rolls meshing with said outer ring gear and mounted on a plurality of equally spaced forming roll shafts rotatably supported at the ends thereof in openings formed in said carrier members, a nonrotating workpiece mounted at the center of rotation of said plurality of forming rolls; means for rotating said outer ring gear; a punch assembly mounted adjacent each end face of said workpiece, each of said punch assemblies including a punch guide secured to each of said fixed support members and abutting against a face of said workpiece to serve as the reaction member for said planetary gear set, a punch slidably mounted within each of said punch guides, means for slidably moving each of said punches into and out of pressure-contact with said end faces of said workpiece as required to cause the metal of said workpiece to flow radially outwardly to conform the periphery thereof to said exterior toothed forming rolls, and locking means for permitting one oF said punch guides to be slidably removed from one of said fixed support members to permit the removal of a finished workpiece from against the face of the other of said punch guides and the insertion of a new workpiece thereagainst.

Claim 3

A mechanism for pressure-forming teeth on the periphery of a cylindrical workpiece, said mechanism comprising oppositely disposed fixed support members; a planetary gear set including carrier members rotatably mounted on said fixed support members, an outer ring gear rotatably mounted intermediate said carrier members, a plurality of exterior toothed forming rolls meshing with said outer ring gear and mounted on a plurality of equally spaced forming roll shafts rotatably supported at the ends thereof in openings formed in said carrier members, a non-rotating workpiece mounted at the center of rotation of said plurality of forming rolls; means for rotating said outer ring gear; a punch assembly mounted adjacent each end face of said workpiece, each of said punch assemblies including a punch guide secured to each of said fixed support members and abutting against a face of said workpiece to serve as the reaction member for said planetary gear set, a punch slidably mounted within each of said punch guides, means for slidably moving each of said punches into and out of pressure-contact with said end faces of said workpiece as required to cause the metal of said workpiece to flow radially outwardly to conform the periphery thereof to said exterior toothed forming rolls, and locking means for permitting one oF said punch guides to be slidably removed from one of said fixed support members to permit the removal of a finished workpiece from against the face of the other of said punch guides and the insertion of a new workpiece thereagainst.

Claim 4

A mechanism for pressure-forming teeth on the periphery of a cylindrical workpiece, said mechanism comprising oppositely disposed fixed support members; a planetary gear set including carrier members rotatably mounted on said fixed support members, an outer ring gear rotatably mounted intermediate said carrier members, a plurality of exterior toothed forming rolls meshing with said outer ring gear and mounted on a plurality of equally spaced forming roll shafts rotatably supported at the ends thereof in openings formed in said carrier members, a non-rotating workpiece mounted at the center of rotation of said plurality of forming rolls; means for rotating said outer ring gear; a punch assembly mounted adjacent each end face of said workpiece, each of said punch assemblies including a punch guide secured to each of said fixed support members and abutting against a face of said workpiece to serve as the reaction member for said planetary gear set, a punch slidably mounted within each of said punch guides, means for slidably moving each of said punches into and out of pressure-contact with said end faces of said workpiece as required to cause the metal of said workpiece to flow radially outwardly to conform the periphery thereof to said exterior toothed forming rolls, and locking means for permitting one oF said punch guides to be slidably removed from one of said fixed support members to permit the removal of a finished workpiece from against the face of the other of said punch guides and the insertion of a new workpiece thereagainst.

Claim 5

A mechanism for pressure-forming teeth on the periphery of a cylindrical workpiece, said mechanism comprising oppositely disposed fixed support members having axially aligned support collars formed thereon; a planetary gear set including carrier members rotatably mounted on said fixed support collars, an outer ring gear rotatably mounted intermediate said carrier members, thrust bearings mounted between the end faces of said outer ring gear and the adjacent sides of said carrier members, a plurality of exterior toothed forming rolls meshing with said outer ring gear and mounted on a plurality of equally spaced forming roll shafts rotatably supported at the ends thereof in openings formed in said carrier members, a nonrotating workpiece mounted at the center of rotation of said plurality of forming rolls and having an outside diameter equal to the diameter of the circle formed by the outer edges of said rotating forming rolls around said center of rotation; means for rotating said outer ring gear on said thrust bearings; a punch assembly mounted adjacent each end face of said workpiece, each of said punch assemblies including a punch guide secured to each of said fixed support members and having an end face thereof abutting against a face of said workpiece to serve as the reaction member for said planetary gear set, a plurality of splines formed on the outer periphery of each of said punch guides adjacent said respective end faces thereof for meshing with said exterior toothed forming rolls, a punch slidably mounted within each of said punch guides, and means for slidably moving each of said punches into pressure-contact with said end faces of said workpiece as required to cause the metal of said workpiece to flow radially outwardly to conform the periphery thereof to said exterior toothed forming rolls, the finished gear root diameter being the same as said original workpiece outside diameter.

Claim 6

A mechanism for pressure-forming teeth on the periphery of a cylindrical workpiece, said mechanism comprising oppositely disposed fixed support members having axially aligned support collars formed thereon; a planetary gear set including carrier members rotatably mounted on said fixed support collars, an outer ring gear rotatably mounted intermediate said carrier members, thrust bearings mounted between the end faces of said outer ring gear and the adjacent sides of said carrier members, a plurality of exterior toothed forming rolls meshing with said outer ring gear and mounted on a plurality of equally spaced forming roll shafts rotatably supported at the ends thereof in openings formed in said carrier members, a nonrotating workpiece mounted at the center of rotation of said plurality of forming rolls and having an outside diameter equal to the diameter of the circle formed by the outer edges of said rotating forming rolls around said center of rotation; means for rotating said outer ring gear on said thrust bearings; a punch assembly mounted adjacent each end face of said workpiece, each of said punch assemblies including a punch guide secured to each of said fixed support members and having an end face thereof abutting against a face of said workpiece to serve as the reaction member for said planetary gear set, a plurality of splines formed on the outer periphery of each of said punch guides adjacent said respective end faces thereof for meshing with said exterior toothed forming rolls, a punch slidably mounted within each of said punch guides, and means for slidably moving each of said punches into pressure-contact with said end faces of said workpiece as required to cause the metal of said workpiece to flow radially outwardly to conform the periphery thereof to said exterior toothed forming rolls, the finished gear root diameter being the same as said original workpiece outside diameter.

Claim 7

A mechanism for pressure-forming teeth on the periphery of a cylindrical workpiece, said mechanism comprising oppositely disposed parallel fixed support members, a pair of rack bars slidably mounted on said fixed support members, means for concurrently reciprocally sliding said pair of rack bars in opposite directions with respect to one another but not toward or away from one another, a plurality of teeth formed on adjacent surfaces of said pair of rack bars, a disc-shaped workpiece mounted intermediate said pair of rack bars with the periphery thereof in rolling contact with the crowns of said oppositely disposed teeth on said rack bars, a punch assembly mounted adjacent each end face of said workpiece, said punch assembly including a slidably mounted rotatable punch, and means for slidably moving said rotatable punch into pressure-contact with the end faces of said workpiece to cause the metal of said workpiece to flow radially outwardly to conform the outer periphery thereof to said adjacent teeth of said reciprocating rack bars as said workpiece is caused to rotate by and between said reciprocating rack bars.

Claim 8

A mechanism for pressure-forming teeth on the periphery of a cylindrical workpiece, said mechanism comprising oppositely disposed parallel fixed support members, a pair of rack bars slidably mounted on said fixed support members, means for concurrently reciprocally sliding said pair of rack bars in opposite directions with respect to one another but not toward or away from one another, a plurality of teeth formed on adjacent surfaces of said pair of rack bars, a disc-shaped workpiece mounted intermediate said pair of rack bars with the periphery thereof in rolling contact with the crowns of said oppositely disposed teeth on said rack bars, a punch assembly mounted adjacent each end face of said workpiece, said punch assembly including a slidably mounted rotatable punch, and means for slidably moving said rotatable punch into pressure-contact with the end faces of said workpiece to cause the metal of said workpiece to flow radially outwardly to conform the outer periphery thereof to said adjacent teeth of said reciprocating rack bars as said workpiece is caused to rotate by and between said reciprocating rack bars.

Claim 11

The mechanism described in claim 1, wherein said locking means includes a ring portion secured to said one of said fixed support members, a sleeve member slidably mounted within said ring portion, a first plurality of locking tabs formed on a face of said ring portion, an annular groove formed in the outer periphery of said sleeve member, a locking ring rotatably mounted in said annular groove adjacent said ring portion, a second plurality of locking tabs formed on a face of said locking ring for interconnection with said first plurality of locking tabs.

Claim 12

The mechanism described in claim 5, and a plurality of pins mounted in said ring portion and extending radially inwardly from the inner surface thereof, a plurality of grooves formed on the outer surface of said one of said punch guides at an intermediate portion thereof and slidably along said respective pins, and a plurality of splines formed on the outer periphery of said punch guides adjacent the end thereof abutting against said face of said workpiece for meshing with the teeth of said exterior toothed forming rolls, both said splines and said grooves having the same shape as said teeth of said exterior toothed forming rolls.