Forest City Gear Expands Threaded Wheel Grinding Capabilities

Forest City Gear now can perform hard fine finishing of larger diameter cylindrical gears faster and more efficiently in higher volumes with the addition of a new Reishauer RZ 410 Threaded Wheel Grinding Machine.

The new Reishauer uses the threaded wheel (continuous generating) grinding process to combine very high metal removal rates and short idle times to produce gears as large as 500 mm in diameter and module 10 and shafts up to 700 mm in length much faster and more efficiently than profile grinding.

For smaller lot sizes, specialized, and prototype work the Reishauer also gives Forest City Gear the ability to perform profile grinding using either CBN plated or dressable grinding wheels that can be modified on the machine with an on-board CNC dressing unit, working in conjunction with integrated inspection.

The unique architecture of the Reishauer also provides optimum speed and accessibility during wheel or workpiece changeover.  The turret-mounted grinding spindle can be rotated between grinding position, dressing position and an easily accessible wheel-changing position that allows the operator to change the clamping fixture at the same time the grinding wheel is being dressed on the opposite side of the column.

The capability of this machine to perform threaded wheel grinding, profile grinding, and polish grinding to create gears with ‘mirror’ finishes, along with the ability to control bias, allows it to fit perfectly within Forest City Gear’s very diverse product requirements, according to Forest City Gear Technology Manager Gene Fann.

“The Reishauer adds speed and capacity for production of larger gears at lower cost per piece to our grinding operation, with the versatility to accommodate a very wide variety of customer requirements, whether the high precision of a one-off master gear or ultra-quiet gears with mirror finishes produced in higher volumes,” said Fann.  “With quality and delivery standards never higher in all the industries we serve, this machine is a great addition.”