Precise, Accurate, and Efficient Honing

Due to the increasing demands on the honing process, Gehring L.P. (gehring.de) recently released a new line of modular honing machines that offer a systematic approach to manufacturing. The lifehone series includes machines with one or two spindles; a honing center specifically engineered for gears as well as a horizontal machine for pinion gears; a honing center with an inner column and rotary table; and a multiple-spindle transfer-type machine. Honing diameters up to 90 mm can be processed.

One lifehone configuration includes a six- or eight-sided inner column that provides machine accessibility while a rotary table (placed around the inner column) allows quicker access to the process stations and easy changeover. It can perform up to seven honing operations and secondary processes. Pre- and post-gauging stations are fixed to optimize interior space. The operator panel can be led around the machine so that it is easily visible from any location. 

Additional benefits, according to Rita Conroy-Martin, director of marketing at Gehring, include high accuracy and precision, easy operation thanks to its ergonomic design, and quick access to all stations. Automation packages are available with the option of automatic loading and unloading with a robot or gantry. Application areas include gear wheels, pinion gears, injection pump components, housings, and hydraulic components. 

Gehring also offers honing tools, abrasives, fixtures, feeding and gauging systems. The single-stone L series tooling system, for example, is designed for high-precision bores with a diameter of 3 to15 mm. The tool joint and base are assembled by means of thermal shrinkage which results in  high concentric accuracy (less than five microns) as well as the ability to transfer high torque and axial forces.   

For machining bores with a diameter range of 5 mm and larger, Gehring offers tools with active honing retraction. By eliminating the retraction bushing for abrasives, the tooling design gets shorter and the stability increases.