They probably hob it like any other gear. But if you are only making one custom one, and you cannot find a replacement or the OEM manufacturer to sell you one, unironically an EDM shop may be an easier way to go than to make your own setup. That is, IF the wire can go thin enough to achieve the corner in the gear teeth.
The real question here is what are you willing to spend. Then all your decisions should be based off that. Do you just need one? Do you want to manufacture them? Is this a capital investment or a hobby?
I reccomend modeling it up and sending the cad file to a shop that specializes in micromachining and paying out the absolute ass for your parts. If you can't afford that, don't bother anymore with this idea because that's cheaper than tooling up yourself and learning how to do it.
Advice? Horology is a subject you need to take seriously then study enough to become your own SME. Not even kidding. Ditto CNC. Bring many, many thousands of dollars you can afford to splurge on fun.
OP if you can't answer this easy question, how will you answer the difficult ones that come up during manufacturing your gears?
Do you have experience machining (manual or cnc)? Experience modelling parts? Are you starting 'from scratch'?
Mechanical watches are a deep rabbit hole. Check out this blog, the guy is pretty candid about what goes into the manufacturing (usually that stuff is secret). There is also a video on Youtube where the guy from NYC CNC visits and they talk about micro machining.
nickhacko.blogspot.com
Wouldn't be too bad writing the code longhand if he had a proper gear cutter, especially if he has 4 axis. I made a few gears this way before. It's literally just take a pass, lift, return, take a pass, once the tooth is cut rotate the 4th axis so many degrees. M99 iirc will repeat your program indefinitely, which is what I did and just left the machine to run.
You could make a part like this with a set of needle files and a steady hand. It'd just take forever and you better not frick up on the last tooth.
They probably hob it like any other gear. But if you are only making one custom one, and you cannot find a replacement or the OEM manufacturer to sell you one, unironically an EDM shop may be an easier way to go than to make your own setup. That is, IF the wire can go thin enough to achieve the corner in the gear teeth.
If it's brass, you can make gears with a surprisngly low tech setup.
Yes the guy uses a laser to engrave the cutting tool profile, but I'm talking more about him using his little lathe as a shaper.
yes
no
depends
>is it possible
Of course it's possible... pic is a real ladybug.
What kind of machine are you working with?
>What kind of machine are you working with?
don't have one yet, any advice?
probably a cnc
You need edm for part that small and precise
I sincerely doubt that. I can see the advantage of EDM but there's no way in hell swiss homies were cutting gears with EDM up until the past 40 years.
They probably hob it like any other gear. But if you are only making one custom one, and you cannot find a replacement or the OEM manufacturer to sell you one, unironically an EDM shop may be an easier way to go than to make your own setup. That is, IF the wire can go thin enough to achieve the corner in the gear teeth.
You could make a part like this with a set of needle files and a steady hand. It'd just take forever and you better not frick up on the last tooth.
start saving your lunch money and maybe you'll be able to afford one before you die of old age
The real question here is what are you willing to spend. Then all your decisions should be based off that. Do you just need one? Do you want to manufacture them? Is this a capital investment or a hobby?
I reccomend modeling it up and sending the cad file to a shop that specializes in micromachining and paying out the absolute ass for your parts. If you can't afford that, don't bother anymore with this idea because that's cheaper than tooling up yourself and learning how to do it.
Advice? Horology is a subject you need to take seriously then study enough to become your own SME. Not even kidding. Ditto CNC. Bring many, many thousands of dollars you can afford to splurge on fun.
Not by you
OP if you can't answer this easy question, how will you answer the difficult ones that come up during manufacturing your gears?
Do you have experience machining (manual or cnc)? Experience modelling parts? Are you starting 'from scratch'?
Mechanical watches are a deep rabbit hole. Check out this blog, the guy is pretty candid about what goes into the manufacturing (usually that stuff is secret). There is also a video on Youtube where the guy from NYC CNC visits and they talk about micro machining.
nickhacko.blogspot.com
I mean do you even have any measuring equipment that's accurate enough for checking the thing once you've made it?
Do you plan on writing the code longhand or do you have CAD/CAM and a post that'll work for your machine?
Also a little desktop mill probably isn't going to be of high enough quality to manufacture what you want very well anyways.
Best of luck in whatever you decide to do these are just good for thought ya dig.
Wouldn't be too bad writing the code longhand if he had a proper gear cutter, especially if he has 4 axis. I made a few gears this way before. It's literally just take a pass, lift, return, take a pass, once the tooth is cut rotate the 4th axis so many degrees. M99 iirc will repeat your program indefinitely, which is what I did and just left the machine to run.
If it's brass, you can make gears with a surprisngly low tech setup.
Yes the guy uses a laser to engrave the cutting tool profile, but I'm talking more about him using his little lathe as a shaper.
that looks like multiple thousands of dollars of equipment
>looks like multiple thousands of dollars of equipment
That's like every video ever with a lathe, mill, etc.
Have you ever disassembled a watch to clean it and get it running again? You're opening up a huge rabbit hole with just a simple question.