BRICATI g the Prope O U ctin r P N L le FP e E Measuring S POLYMER GEARING REDUCING Planetary Gear Whine Successful ROTARY BROACHING SITE SAFETY COMPANY PROFILE: Chamfermatic, Inc. TOOTH TIPS Q&A: Tom Treuden, Butler Gear MARCH 2008 0308Cover.indd FC1 2/18/08 3:00:06 PM GleasonFP0806.indd IFC1 2/18/08 3:00:23 PM KAPP_0208.indd IFC1 2/18/08 3:00:48 PM 2 GEAR SOLUTIONS • MARCH 2008 • gearsolutionsonline.com Page2.indd 2 2/18/08 3:01:04 PM RP_FP_0208.indd 3 2/18/08 3:01:26 PM Nachi FP 0206.indd 4 2/18/08 3:01:52 PM MARCH 2008 VOLUME 6 NO. 60 FEATURES companyPROFILE CHAMFERMATIC, INC. 18 BY RUSS WILLCUTT Ease of use, sturdy construction, reasonable cost, and a host of excellent standard features are just a few of the attributes this company’s deburring machines provide. MEASURING EXCELLENCE IN POLYMER GEARING 20 BY DOUGLAS FELSENTHAL While the art may be found in the manufacturing of polymer gears, the science involves mea- p. 20 surement, and Kleiss Gear is the expert in combining the two. REDUCING GEAR WHINE IN PLANETARY GEAR TRANSMISSIONS 26 BY SHOUNAK M. ATHAVALE, PH.D. In an article penned by a technical specialist at the Ford Research Laboratory, two assembly tech- niques to reduce transmission error in planetary gear systems are examined. SELECTING THE RIGHT PFPE LUBRICANT 34 BY GEORGE B. MOCK Extreme environments call for extreme lubricating measures, and perfluoropolyethers provide the characteristics required for these—and other—demanding applications. THE RULES FOR SUCCESSFUL ROTARY BROACHING 38 BY SCOTT LAPRADE When is rotary broaching applicable, and how is it performed? What materials can be used, and p. 26 which manufacturers benefit from this process? You’ll find the answers here. DEPARTMENTS industryNEWS 8 New products, trends and developments in the gear-manufacturing industry. siteSAFETY TERRY MCDONALD 15 Workers should wear the proper footwear in industrial environments, and there is free informa- tion available to help remind employees of these and other concerns. toothTIPS WILLIAM CROSHER p. 34 16 In this issue the author discusses tests devised for evaluating hardness, how hardness is actually defined, and the evolution of testing methods over time. 52 Q&A with TOM TREUDEN, President Butler Gear INDUSTRY RESOURCES 45 MACHINES 48 MARKETPLACE 51 ADVERTISER INDEX Gear Solutions (ISSN 1933 - 7507) is published monthly by Media Solutions, Inc., 266D Yeager Parkway Pelham, AL. 35124. Phone (205) 380-1573 Fax (205) 380-1580 International subscription rates: $72.00 per year. Periodicals Postage Paid at Pelham AL and at additional mailing offices. Printed in the USA. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Gear Solutions p. 38 magazine, P.O. Box 1210 Pelham AL. 35124. Publications mail agreement No. 41395015 return undeliverable canadian addresses to P.O. Box 503 RPO West Beaver Creek Richmond Hill, ON L4B4R6. Copyright®© 2006 by Media Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved. gearsolutionsonline.com • MARCH 2008 • GEAR SOLUTIONS 5 TOC0308.indd 5 2/18/08 3:02:23 PM from the EDITOR PUBLISHED BY erhaps you’d agree that, when it comes to our behavior—and especially our inter- MEDIA SOLUTIONS, INC. P. O. BOX 1987 • PELHAM, AL 35124 actions with other people—common sense is often the most important guide. 1-800-366-2185 And during a period when employee retention is especially critical, you might find 205-380-1580 FAX Tom Treuden’s words in this month’s Q&A to be a timely reminder of the value of Pcommon sense. What does he have to say about the approach he takes at Butler PUBLISHER Gear? That you should treat employees with respect, and as members of a team who all DAVID C. COOPER stand to benefit by working together toward a shared goal. That you should lead by exam- ple, never asking someone else to do something you wouldn’t do yourself. And that while VICE PRESIDENT it’s always a good idea to treat others with dignity and understand the challenges they’re CHAD MORRISON facing in their personal and professional lives, you’re still expected to be the leader, and to make the right decisions when they are called for. Sounds simple, right? Sure it is, but what’s hard is keeping these things in mind when you’re under pressure—late delivering NATIONAL SALES MANAGER an important order, or dealing with the myriad problems business men and women are BRAD WHISENANT required to face down every single day. Tom’s tactic is to make a point of visiting with each of his employees first thing in the morning, which addresses all of the above while OPERATIONS/CIRCULATION also keeping him abreast of what’s actually happening on the shop floor, not just in the TERESA HALL conference room. That’s good advice, even if it’s simple, everyday common sense. In this issue of the magazine we’re pleased to present you with a wide-ranging lineup of articles, beginning with the conclusion of our three-part series on noise “Reducing PRODUCTION Gear Whine in Planetary Gear Transmissions” by Shounak M. Athavale, Ph.D., a techni- cal specialist at the Ford Research Laboratory of the Ford Motor Company. Douglas ART DIRECTOR Felsenthal, vice president of operations at Kleiss Gears presents “Measuring Excellence JEREMY ALLEN in Polymer Gearing,” and George B. Mock, president of Nye Lubricants, has contributed the article “Selecting the Right PFPE Lubricant,” which you’re sure to find helpful and informative. Rounding out our selection, Scott Laprade of Genevieve Swiss Industries GRAPHIC DESIGNER has written an excellent piece describing the process of rotary broaching, including the MICHELE HALL applications for which it is especially well suited. Thank you, gentlemen, for allowing us to share your important insights and expertise. EDITORIAL In “Tooth Tips” Bill Crosher discusses evaluating hardness, including how it is actually EDITOR defined and the evolution of testing methods over time, and Terry McDonald explains RUSS WILLCUTT why footwear that is specifically designed for safety is so important in an industrial environment in this month’s installment of “Site Safety.” Going back to the subject of common sense, Mike Magee of Chamfermatic explains how it was utilized in the stream- CONTRIBUTING WRITERS lined design of his deburring machines, requiring a minimum of training and providing a SHOUNAK M. ATHAVALE, PH.D. maximum ROI. WILLIAM P. CROSHER So dive in and enjoy this month’s Gear Solutions, and be sure to keep the story ideas DOUGLAS FELSENTHAL coming in. We’ve been flooded with editorial queries lately, and we’re very excited about SCOTT LAPRADE the content we’re developing for future issues—as well as a few more surprises we have TERRY MCDONALD in store. All best! GEORGE B. MOCK Russ Willcutt, editor Gear Solutions magazine [email protected] (800) 366-2185 No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, record- ing, or any information storage-and-retrieval system without permission in writing from the publisher. The views expressed by those not on the staff on Gear Solutions magazine, or who are not specifically employed by Media Solutions, Inc., are purely their own. All "Industry News" mate- rial has either been submitted by the subject company or pulled directly from their corporate web site, which is assumed to be cleared for release. Comments and submissions are welcome, and can be submitted to [email protected]. 6 GEAR SOLUTIONS • MARCH 2008 • gearsolutionsonline.com EDletter0308.indd 6 2/18/08 3:02:41 PM New England Gear FP 0506.indd 7 2/18/08 3:02:58 PM New Products, Trends and Developments in the Gear-Manufacturing Industry Rotary Broach News from Slater Tools Growth in a variety of custom and specialty forms used in fasteners for the medical and aerospace industries is being supported by Slater Tools, Inc., through expansion of their hexalobular shaped rotary broaches. The contour of the hexalobular broach’s lobed recesses makes it a desirable form for fasteners. Like Slater’s popular line of standard hexagon and square rotary broach cutting tools, the six-lobe hexalobular insert is now available from stock for all Rotary Broaching Tool Holders. Rotary broaching cutters can be used on a lathe, horizontal or vertical mill, or screw machine to create hexagon, square, and other polygon forms in precision metal products. Common products include multiple aircraft and medical applications, such as bone screws. Broach tools (also known as wobble broach tools) for the hexalobular form can now be ordered from stock, improving production and prototype delivery times. “Sometimes it’s hard to plan far enough ahead to get a spe- cialty tool like a hexalobular broach when you need it,” says Marco LaChapelle at M&M Machining. “It will be nice to have them readily available from Slater Tools.” than accomplishing the same result in a secondary operation. In fact, this operation can be overlapped with others to increase speed and profitability during production, without sacrificing accu- racy. Unlike conventional broaching—which may push a series of forms that increase in size through a hole until the desired form is achieved—the rotary broach cuts the full form, one point at a time, in the first pass. Fast delivery is available on all polygon forms, with standard hex, square, and now hexalobular broaches available from stock. Custom Rotary broaching is a fast and accurate method of producing inter- lengths are available, including 28mm. Rotary broaches can be pro- nal or external forms on the end of a workpiece while it is rotating. duced from hardened high speed M2 steel, PM4, or T15 cobalt.