Patent ID: 6289586
Filing Date: 2001-09-18
Classification: B29D,F16H,Y10T

Abstract:
A method of manufacturing an improved gear drive system to provide improved drive motion uniformity with reduced manufacturing costs, said method producing a gear drive system comprising at least one pair of rotatable first and second engaged gears with respectively engaged gear teeth areas and respective first and second gear axes, said gear drive system having a drive motion tolerance to slight alignment variations of said first and second gear axes relative to one another; comprising:molding said first and second drive gears with gear teeth having outer edge crowning on only one side of said gear teeth in a mold in which the parting line of said mold is outside of said respectively engaged gear teeth areas,said gear tooth outer edge crowning being sufficient to substantially increase said drive motion uniformity of said drive system with said alignment variations of said first and second axes of gear rotation; andassembling said first and second gears engaged into said gear drive system so that said outer edge crowning on only one side of said gear teeth of said engaged first and second gears are respectively opposite in position to one another to provide said tolerance in motion control to slight alignment variations of said first and second gear axes relative to one another.