Spline Cutting
What is a spline?
A spline is any shaft that features a series of teeth that match spaces of a corresponding shaft.
By mating an internal spline with an external spline, rotational movement and force is transferred along the same axis with performance dictated by the designed form and fit. Splines can be either external or internal, and they may comprise a variety of tooth shapes to serve various functions.
Featured Spline Cutting Tools
Form-milling
A milling cutter can take the exact conjugate form of the spline tooth space. By using this type of tool, a spline can be made one tooth space at a time, successively indexing from space to space.
Shaping
The shaping process offers balance between flexibility and productivity. Additionally, external splines must be shaped if hob clearance sweepout is insufficient, common with unique part features such as a shoulder or change in diameter.
Hobbing
Teeth are generated by a hob cutting tool, and as the hob turns in synchronicity with the workpiece, the gashes of the hob successively cut flats along the tooth profile to productively generate several teeth simultaneously.
Spline Fits
An involute spline can be designed as a major diameter fit or side fit, achieved by varying the depth of the hobbing cut.
In a major diameter fit, bearing is on the major diameter and the fit is controlled by varying the major diameter of the external teeth. In a side fit, bearing is on the sides of the teeth and the fit is controlled by varying the tooth thickness. Side fits are self-centering and help equalize stresses at the bearings of all teeth.
Spline Forms
Side-fit involute splines may have a flat-root or fillet-root form.
A flat-root ramp on the hob tooth profile will generate a chamfer on the tooth to provide clearance at the major diameter between the external and internal mating teeth. A fillet-root spline hob has a smooth radius so as not to generate a hard chamfer on the spline teeth tips.
Helios Gear Products
635 Schneider Dr,
South Elgin, IL 60177, USA
(847) 931-4121
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