Gear Hobbing: the route, the tolerances it holds, materials and design tips, with an indicative cost. One of 56 processes in the free finder.
MachiningFamily
+/-0.01mmTypical tol.
5Route steps
46Parts in finder
Gear cutting (hobbing and shaping) generates gear teeth with a rotating cutter timed to the blank, then often grinds them for quality.
At a glance
When to use it, and when not
Best for
Precision gears, splines and sprockets.
Watch for
Dedicated machines and tooling; fine quality classes add grinding cost.
Step by step
The typical route
Raw material to finished part. Steps vary with material, volume and tolerance; this is the free route from the finder.
Blank
Turn the gear blank.
Tooling Lathe Tolerance - Lead -
Cut teeth
Hob or shape the teeth.
Tooling Hob Tolerance - Lead -
Heat-treat
Carburise/harden the teeth.
Tooling Furnace Tolerance - Lead -
Grind
Grind/lap the teeth for high quality class.
Tooling Grinder Tolerance - Lead -
Inspect
Check profile, lead and runout.
Tooling - Tolerance - Lead -
Precision
Tolerances it can hold
TYPICAL TOLERANCE IT CAN HOLD
Where this process typically lands. Tighter is possible with extra operations like grinding, at higher cost.
Materials
Materials it suits
Grade
Why it suits this
20MnCr5 / 8620 (case-harden)
Hard surface, tough core
4140 (through-harden)
Medium duty
Nylon/acetal
Quiet, light, low load
Design
Design tips
A few general pointers for Gear Hobbing. The full, part-specific DFM list is in the dossier.
Higher quality class than needed.Match class to the duty.
Thin rim under the root.Thicken the rim.
Cost
What it costs
Gears by hobbing/shaping; quality class drives cost, high-class gears add grinding/lapping after heat-treat.
PER-PART COST vs VOLUME
Per-part cost drops as volume spreads tooling and setup over more parts. The exact figures for your part at your volume, in your currency, are in the dossier.
MODEL EST.
$65 to 185per part at 1 off
A rough ballpark only. The dossier gives should-cost at your exact volume and currency, with the full breakdown.
GET THE FULL DOSSIER
Everything you need to quote and source it
The free route above is yours. To actually put a number on this process and buy it well:
Should-cost at your exact volume in 12 currencies, with the material, processing, tooling and overhead breakdown
Who to source from, typical MOQ and lead time, and the exact RFQ checklist to send
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Gear cutting (hobbing and shaping) generates gear teeth with a rotating cutter timed to the blank, then often grinds them for quality. The typical route is: Blank; Cut teeth; Heat-treat; Grind; Inspect. Precision gears, splines and sprockets.
What does Gear Hobbing cost per part?
It depends on size, tolerance and volume. As a rough ballpark it starts around $65 to 185 per part at low volume and falls with quantity. The dossier gives should-cost at your exact volume and currency. Model estimates, not quotes.
What tolerance can Gear Hobbing hold?
Typically about +/-0.01 mm, tighter with extra finishing operations at higher cost.
What materials suit Gear Hobbing?
Common choices are 20MnCr5 / 8620 (case-harden) (Hard surface, tough core); 4140 (through-harden) (Medium duty); Nylon/acetal (Quiet, light, low load).
See the exact route and should-cost for your part
The free finder maps your part to its process and full route. Pro adds should-cost at your volume, sourcing and an RFQ draft.
