Gear Cutting on 4th Axis Using Involute Cutter

[Daniel.Doan]

I am trying to cut a worm gear using an involute cutter. I am having failures in getting the form tool created. This gear has a recess and is at an angle making it more like a helical gear. Any help would be appreciated in setting this up for a CAM operation. Also, I need help in CAM for the worm drive as well.

[seth.madore]

So sorry for the late reply on this, digging out from a pile of emails. 
Looking at your file, I'm having a hard time finding the sketch used to drive the Form tool design. Can you guide me to the proper folder?

[Daniel.Doan]

I watched a video on "Gear Cutting on 4th Axis" and attempted to create a form tool. My best results are on the attached file, under the Sketch labeled "Form Tool". I need your help to create the proper form tool. The Offset Plane used to create the compensation point is on an arc, not a flat area like in a spur gear. I need to make a worm gear using an involute cutter, or other end mills. I am getting frustrated and need someone to explain it to me so that I can understand.

[seth.madore]

The biggest issue you're going to run into, and I'm sorry to have to tell you this, is Fusion. We don't have a 3 axis toolpath that can cut along one axis and slowly rotate the A/B/C axis. Even if we use an endmill and attack it from the top, you're pretty much forced to lock the axis and treat it as a 2 axis move. And saw? That's pretty much not going to happen in Fusion at this point in time....

[Daniel.Doan]

Limitations of the software I can understand. Can we treat this like a spur gear and create a 2 axis tool path, rotate 4th axis using Wrap Toolpath and pattern the teeth? Basically, treating this like a saw with rotation at the end of the cycle? I will still need to know how to CAM regular gears and helical gears in the near future. I appreciate your insight.

[seth.madore · Accepted solution]

Absolutely! Sorry for the delay, I ran into some shop issues that set me back a bit.

Take a look at this ScreenCast and see if it addresses your needs:

[Daniel.Doan]

Worked great. I will save that for the spur gears in the future. Speaking of spur gears, using the Helicar Gear Generator through the app store how does one do the CAM operation after the software designs a gear? Would you make a screencast and design a 2" by 2.5" right-hand helical gear and show how to CAM it? Would I use a form tool as well?  Would it be 2D Contour or Adaptive OP?

Thanks,

Dan