Gleason 400 HFG

The Gleason 400 HFG is a CNC spiral bevel and hypoid gear grinder designed for high-volume production of large bevel gear sets up to 400 mm ring gear diameter. It occupies the size tier above the 260H and Phoenix 280C, addressing the heavy truck, construction equipment, industrial gearbox, and wind turbine pitch drive markets where bevel gears in the 300-400 mm range are commonly specified. Gleason, as the originator of the modern spiral bevel gear manufacturing process, brings over 130 years of bevel gear engineering into the HFG platform design.

The 400 HFG uses Gleason's face-hobbing and face-milling grinding processes interchangeably, determined by the installed grinding head configuration. The machine operates with a cup-shaped grinding wheel dressed to the exact bevel gear tooth form, indexing through each tooth gap in sequence. Gleason's GEMS software drives the 6-axis CNC motions required to generate the complex curved tooth surfaces of spiral bevel and hypoid gears, accommodating both Gleason and Klingelnberg (Palloid) tooth systems. Surface finish achievable is typically Ra 0.4-0.8 µm after grinding, with tooth accuracy reaching AGMA Q11-13 or DIN 3 equivalent.

The grinding spindle on the 400 HFG delivers up to 50 kW of continuous power to handle the larger wheel diameters and heavier stock removal required for 300-400 mm ring gears. The work spindle accommodates arbor-mounted bevel gear blanks and includes a built-in ring loader for automated part handling. Gleason's Phoenix-lineage control architecture handles all gear geometry data entry, cycle programming, and in-process gauging. An integrated CNC dressing unit maintains the grinding wheel form without operator intervention during long production runs.

Priced approximately $1,200,000-$1,800,000 in base configuration, the 400 HFG targets tier 1 axle manufacturers (heavy truck and off-highway), construction and agricultural equipment drivetrain suppliers, and industrial gearbox producers. The machine competes with the Klingelnberg G 60, Klingelnberg C 50 (in the cylindrical context), and equivalent Oerlikon-heritage Klingelnberg bevel grinders. For Gleason-equipped shops already using Gleason cutting machines, the common GEMS software environment significantly simplifies process development and closed-loop quality control.