Gashing

Gashing is a machining process used to rough out coarse pitched gears and sprockets. It is commonly used on worm wheels before hobbing, but also used on internal and external spur gears, bevel gears, helical gears, and gear racks. The process is performed on gashers or universal milling machines, especially in the case of worm wheels. After gashing the gear or sprocket is finished via hobbing, shaping, or shaving.

Equipment

Gashers are large, heavy-duty machine tools. They have horizontal and vertical slideways, precise indexing, large diameter ballscrews, and spindle drive motors up to 100 hp (75 kW). They are usually controlled via computer numerical control (CNC) or a microprocessor. While they are usually used for rough cutting, they are also sometimes used for finishing. For example, gashers are used for the production of large roller-chain sprockets.

Process

Gashing was first used to rough out worm wheels using a universal milling machine, but then dedicated gashers were built to rough out other types of gears. Because the processes is carried out on two different machines the process differs.