Gearbox Manufacturing

From Wind wiki

The process for manufacturing a gearbox starts by purchasing good quality steel. This material will come in round bars for pinions, a pinion being the smaller of any two mating gears, and in forged round blanks roughly the size of the large gears. This material is then rough machined into the dimensions of the gears. It is then sent to the hobbing machines where the teeth are cut into the gear. Once the hobbing is complete, the gears are sent to the heat treat to be hardened.

Most wind turbine gears are carburized and ground, a process that produces high strength gearing. During the heat treat process the gearing are baked in a large oven to reach a desired temperature, then removed and quenched in an oil bath. After heat treat the gears are finish machined to close tolerances for the bearing fits. Next the gears are sent to the gear grinder to finish the gear teeth. Castings for housings are set up and machined and made ready for the assembly. Most castings come primed to prevent rust. End caps and other parts are also machined and made ready to be assembled.

All the parts come together in assembly. Gearboxes are mounted on assembly stands and all components are installed and adjusted. The lubrication system, bearings, gears, temperature sensors, and end caps are all assembled and made ready for final testing.

During testing, the gearboxes are mounted in the test stand and run under load to "wear in" the gear teeth. This requires several hours of testing and monitoring the oil for cleanliness. Once testing is complete, the gearboxes receive a final coat of paint and are made ready for shipping to the customer.