Spiral Bevel Gear Manufacturing Technology: A Review

The research on improving the manufacturing quality of spiral bevel gear transmissions has been widely considered by many researchers worldwide. This study presents a survey of research works published in the past 15 years on the manufacturing technology of spiral bevel gears, including cutting methods, cutting machines, cutting tools, manufacturing error, and measurement. The survey results show that spiral bevel gear manufacturing technology has made many advances in recent years, and the manufacturing quality has been increasingly improved. Many advanced research methods have been applied, such as finite element simulation and loaded and unloaded teeth contact analysis to optimize tooth surfaces. Computer numerical control (CNC) machining machines, coordinate measuring machines, and surface coating cutting tools have improved productivity and machining accuracy. The review results provide a better understanding of the spiral bevel gear manufacturing technology.