Live Tooling Head Enables Angled Milling, Gear Skiving

Exsys Tool’s 90-degree skiving, drilling and milling head enables angled drilling and milling capabilities on turning centers as well as gear skiving operations. The new head cuts gear patterns faster than conventional gear shaping or broaching methods and generates both internal and external gears with helical profiles as well as gears close to part shoulders without interference, the company says.

With conventional live tooling that machines only from a horizontal position, gear skiving would require either a dedicated gear skiving machine or a full five-axis milling and turning machine. This product is intended to enable shops to achieve the angled positions necessary for gear skiving and the creation of integral splines without those extra costs.

The drilling and milling head operates at spindle speeds of 3,000 rpm and delivers a torque output of 40 Nm. It is also compatible with external coolant supplies. Set screws adjust head position 45 degrees up or down for the system’s full 90-degree range of motion.

The adjustable head is a stand-alone tooling solution and is also compatible with Preci-Flex, a modular system designed to speed turning machine turret tooling changeovers. The system features a single-base holder and multiple tooling adapters. Notable features include a compact design to maximize rigidity and torque transmission, as well as a conical and flat-face planar interface designed to ensure rigidity and precision when using an adapter or standard ER collet.