hGears launches a R&D program for the production of PM Helical Gears

The powder metallurgy process is well known in the automotive and machine world thanks to the high flexibility in the shape of the products that can be manufactured and to the possibility to integrate more than one single function in the same component without increasing its production cost.
In the view to expand the advantages of this technology to the most demanding applications where low NVH properties are requested, hGears launched a R&D program to develop the production of PM helical gears. They are characterized by elements that must be produced with helical motion movement of the punches and elements where this movement is forbidden (typically a splined central hole or weight reducing slots in the gear body).
The combination of these requirements asks for an original approach in the compaction tooling design. This goal had successfully been achieved and a first prototype was produced. To increase the knowledge of the stress and strain level of the tool, some strain gauges had been applied to the critical elements. The gathered information will be used for the next generation of this tool, where the teeth helix angle will be increased to the maximum value currently used in the industry.
The main output of this research project will be a cheap, light, strong and geometrically complex gear.
Thanks to its know-how and technology in gear manufacturing processes, hGears is also able to reach the highest quality requirements, applying to this PM gear the teeth grinding operation, as required by the most innovative applications, especially in the eMobility field.