Gleason 300 GMS

The Gleason 300 GMS is a gear metrology system engineered for the precision inspection of large bevel gears, hypoid gears, spiral bevel gears, and cylindrical gears up to 300 mm in diameter. Gleason, headquartered in Rochester, New York, developed the GMS series to bring CMM-level geometric accuracy to the gear inspection process, eliminating the need to route large bevel gears off the production floor to a separate coordinate measuring room. The 300 GMS fills the size gap between the 275 GMS and larger metrology platforms, addressing large bevel gear sets used in truck axles, industrial gearboxes, and helicopter transmission applications.

The machine operates on Gleason's GAMA (Gleason Analytical Measurement Architecture) platform, which integrates a high-accuracy probe head, precision rotary table, and multi-axis CNC positioning system into a unified metrology cell. The 300 GMS measures all standard gear geometry parameters including tooth thickness, runout, pitch, profile, lead, and surface finish in a single clamping. Measurement cycles for a typical 250 mm bevel gear complete in under 10 minutes, dramatically faster than equivalent CMM-based gear inspection. The system supports both bevel gear flank form analysis and cylindrical gear involute inspection.

Gleason's GEMS (Gleason Expert Measurement Software) provides the control and analysis interface, offering gear measurement results in formats compatible with all major gear drawing standards: AGMA, ISO, DIN, and JIS. The software includes statistical process control (SPC) integration, automatic tolerancing against drawing specifications, and graphical flank topography maps that allow immediate identification of systematic grinding or lapping errors. Closed-loop feedback to Gleason grinding and cutting machines is supported, enabling automatic correction of process parameters based on measured deviations.

At roughly $500,000-$750,000 fully configured, the 300 GMS is priced for tier 1 automotive axle manufacturers, helicopter gearbox producers, and large industrial gearbox shops grinding bevel gears in the 200-300 mm OD range. The machine competes primarily with Klingelnberg's P-series gear measuring instruments and Marposs gear inspection systems. For shops that already operate Gleason grinding machines, the closed-loop feedback capability with GEMS software provides a compelling integration advantage.