Getting in gear with Vargus

Taking the opportunity to see new technology in the flesh can very often be the light bulb of innovation for manufacturers – the recent MACH exhibition was a casing point. At this year’s MACH exhibition, cutting tool specialists Vargus UK presented their latest range of gear milling tools, the Vardex. This system brought the realisation to many manufacturers attending the show that they don’t need specialist gear-cutting machinery to generate gears.

For years, this niche area was the reserve of specialist manufacturers with gear-cutting machine tools. However, the onset of more advanced multi-function turn/mill centres and multi-axis machining centres means that activities like spline milling no longer have to be subcontracted out as a specialist service. As Vargus UK Managing Director Graeme Troughton says: “We had a live gear machining process running at MACH 2024 and this was a revelation to so many engineers. After the MACH show, we had a customer who had seen our gear machining process running live at the exhibition. Following this, we were invited to trial at this Midlands-based company. Compared to their existing conventional hobbing process, we reduced the cycle times by more than 65%.”

“However, this is not the full story as previously, this customer was also subcontracting additional work out. Not only was the customer losing control of their processes, but they had to endure a 6-week lead time for parts and this all came at a cost that was double the price of the tooling from Vargus which will last for years to come. By switching to our system, the customer can now quote shorter lead times, offer more competitive pricing and control the full process themselves, factors that will undoubtedly lead to this company winning more of this type of work,” adds Graeme.

This is just one example of what can be achieved with the Vargus Vardex gear machine technology. Hobbing has always traditionally been the common process for gear, spline and rack machining, but now Vargus offers a solution with its Vardex gear milling tools that are a competitive alternative to traditional hobbing. To meet the wide demands of industry, Vargus offers four types of tooling solution – indexable end mills, shell mills, disc mills and solid carbide tools. For gear milling, the Vardex gear milling tools are suitable for machining straight gears covering modules from 0.5 to 6.0mm or DP 52-4, these identical parameters are also covered by the Vardex rack milling tools. Concerning spline milling tools, the Vardex system is suitable for machining both involute or straight-sided profiles covering modules from 0.5 to 0.8mm or DP 48/96-4/8. Complementing these solutions, the TM solid carbide series provides an excellent alternative for applications that require cutting close to the shoulder. Suitable for both gear and rack modules, the solid carbide series can work in parameters from 0.5 to 2.0mm with DP52 to DP13 whilst the spline module range applies to 0.8 to 3.0mm with a Dp40/80 to DP8/16.

The advantages of the Vardex gear milling concept is multi-fluted indexable carbide grade inserts for superfast machining that offer a competitive alternative to traditional hobbing systems. Furthermore, this innovation provides exceptional tool life, high accuracy and impeccable surface finishes that yield an economical option with simplified machining.