Use of PLC module to control a rotary table to cut spiral bevel gear with three-axis CNC milling

Abstract

CNC machining nowadays makes more use of "Mechatronics" increasingly. Combining numerical control with mechanic, electric, and data processing systems can lead to new methods of production. In recent years, the development of CNC has made it possible to perform nonlinear correction motions for the cutting of spiral bevel gears. In this paper, we attempt to manufacture the spiral bevel gear using a three-axis CNC milling machine interfaced with an additional PLC module based on traditional discontinuous multicutting method accomplished by using a universal milling machine interfaced with an indexing work head. This research consists of (a) geometric modeling of the spiral bevel gear, (b) simulating the traditional and our new nontraditional method using a CAD/CAE system, (c) process planning for CNC machining and PLC Programming, (d) experimental cuts with a three-axis CNC milling machine were made to discover the validity of the presented method. The results demonstrate that invented experimental cutting method of SBGs not only is less expensive than advanced CNC machining but also produces gears in a shorter time in comparison with the traditional cutting. Thereby, it is an economical method in manufacturing of SBGs.