Watch our factory video showing the gear cutting procedure of heavy-duty external-tooth slewing rings, custom manufactured for excavators, cranes and mining equipment.
Slewing bearings, also widely known as slewing rings, serve as the critical rotating joint for heavy machinery including excavators, tower cranes, mining rigs, pile drivers and wind power equipment. Among all types, external gear slewing rings remain the most popular selection thanks to easy installation, convenient gear inspection and reliable high‑torque transmission performance.
In this blog, we share our on-site factory footage demonstrating the gear hobbing procedure for a large-size external gear slewing ring.
Why the external gear matters
The outer teeth directly mesh with the drive pinion to transfer torque. Poor tooth profile, low surface hardness or big runout error will lead to vibration, noise and premature failure under heavy load. We normally adopt 42CrMo alloy steel for this series, with tooth surface induction hardening treatment after gear cutting, to achieve excellent wear resistance and impact resistance.
The gear hobbing workflow shown in this video
This short 29-second video was shot inside our production workshop.
1. The forged ring blank is clamped and precisely positioned on the heavy-duty vertical hobbing machine. Workers carefully calibrate the workpiece to guarantee concentricity.
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2. The huge hobbing cutter starts cutting tooth grooves pass by pass, removing steel chips continuously to form standard gear profile.
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3. After finishing all teeth, operators carry out preliminary dimension check before moving on to heat treatment and final inspection.
Large-diameter slewing ring machining demands ultra-rigid machine tools and experienced operators. Every single tooth must meet tight tolerance requirements, even for rings with several meters of diameter.
Our custom service
As an OEM manufacturer, we can produce custom slewing bearings with different modulus, pressure angle, raceway structure and mounting hole layout. Our products are widely supplied to construction, mining, port and agricultural machinery brands.
If you are looking for a reliable supplier of heavy-duty slewing rings, welcome to send your drawings for quotation.
Tags: #SlewingBearing #SlewingRing #ExternalGearSlewingRing #GearHobbing #HeavyMachineryParts