Gears with module less than 1 mm are generally called small module gears. Small module gear is in an extremely unique position in the gear field. Although its industry scale is smaller than that of large module gear in wind power industry and medium module gear in transportation industry, small module gear has become the core part of precision equipment, aviation machinery, electronic instruments, timers and other equipment with its unique advantages. It is widely used in transportation tools, electric tools, micro transmission, packaging machinery, micro pump, aerospace and other equipment, and even small module gears in fishing gear products.
Due to the influence of geometric dimensions and mechanical properties, the manufacturing and testing of small module gears is much more difficult than other types of gears. The rapid progress of science and technology has brought higher requirements for its manufacturing accuracy and size, and put forward a more severe test for the manufacturing and testing of small module gears. With the continuous emergence of advanced measurement methods such as WEDM, CNC slow wire cutting, optical based tooth profile measurement technology and gear single-sided meshing measurement technology, these processing and detection technologies have solved some problems, but also exposed some disadvantages.
Reverse engineering refers to the related technology of obtaining digital models from physical models and manufacturing new parts. It has become a hot spot in the research and application of digital design and manufacturing technology. With its important significance in product design and R & D, the research on reverse engineering has attracted more and more attention since the 1990s. Reverse engineering has gradually developed into a mature technology field, mainly covering three technology clusters: product digitization technology, model reconstruction technology and product rapid manufacturing technology. Product rapid manufacturing technology can be used to manufacture small module gears. The combination of product digitization technology and model reconstruction technology can solve the measurement problem of small module gears.
The rapid prototyping method and digital technology in reverse engineering technology are proposed to manufacture and detect small module gears.