Samputensili SMH 400
Key Specifications
Max Workpiece ⌀
max workpiece height
gear module range
max hob diameter
max hob length
gear types
Overview
The Samputensili SMH 400 is a CNC gear hobbing machine from Samputensili Machine Tools, the gear machine division of SAMP Group based in Bologna, Italy. The SMH 400 accommodates external spur and helical gears, worm wheels, and splined shafts up to 400 mm pitch diameter and applies the gear hobbing process as the primary soft-cutting operation in gear manufacturing workflows — typically as the first machining step after gear blank turning, producing the gear teeth to near-net-shape before heat treatment and subsequent hard finishing by shaving, grinding, or honing.
Samputensili's heritage in gear manufacturing tooling and machines dates to 1949, when the company was founded as a cutting tool manufacturer in Bologna. The SMH series represents Samputensili's horizontal gear hobbing platform, designed for the flexibility and productivity requirements of automotive, industrial, and general engineering gear production. The 400 mm capacity of the SMH 400 covers a broad range from small automotive transmission gears through medium-size industrial gearbox pinions, making it suitable for both dedicated transmission gear production lines and flexible job shop environments.
Gear hobbing is the dominant process for producing external gear teeth in the first (soft) cut stage of gear manufacturing. A hob — a cylindrical cutting tool with helical flutes arranged in the involute form of the gear's tooth space — rotates while simultaneously traversing axially along the workpiece gear blank. Both the hob and the blank rotate in a precise synchronized relationship determined by the gear ratio between hob starts and workpiece tooth count, generating the involute tooth profile through a series of successive cuts from multiple hob teeth in contact simultaneously. Hobbing's continuous cutting action and multi-tooth engagement make it the fastest gear tooth generation process for external gears, producing high-quality tooth forms at high material removal rates.
The SMH 400 uses a horizontal spindle architecture with the hob mounted on the horizontal arbor and the workpiece on the vertical worktable below — the classic horizontal hobber layout proven over decades of gear production. The CNC-controlled hob shifting mechanism distributes wear evenly across the full hob length, extending tool life significantly compared to manual-shift machines. Axial feed, radial feed, hob speed, and workpiece speed are all CNC-controlled through the Siemens SINUMERIK 840D sl control system with Samputensili's gear parameter programming interface.
The SMH 400 is used across a wide spectrum of gear applications: automotive transmission input and output shafts and loose gears, industrial gearbox pinions and wheels, agricultural and construction equipment drive gears, large-module worm wheels for worm gearboxes, and splined shafts for power transmission couplings. The machine's 400 mm diameter capacity and module range from 0.5 to 10 mm gives it wide applicability across these sectors. Samputensili supports the SMH 400 with application engineering, hob supply (through the parent SAMP Group tooling division), and a regional service network spanning Europe, the Americas, and Asia.
Full Specifications
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Max Workpiece Diameter | 400 mm (15.7 in) |
| Max Workpiece Height | 300 mm (11.8 in) |
| Gear Module Range | 0.5 - 10 mm |
| Max Hob Diameter | 180 mm (7.1 in) |
| Max Hob Length | 250 mm (9.8 in) |
| Gear Types | External spur gears, external helical gears, worm wheels, splined shafts |
| Process | CNC gear hobbing — horizontal spindle architecture |
| Hob Shifting | CNC automatic hob shifting for even wear distribution |
| Gear Quality | DIN 5 - 7 typical (soft-cut, pre-hardening); DIN 4 achievable on premium setups |
| CNC Control | Siemens SINUMERIK 840D sl with Samputensili gear parameter programming interface |
| Automation Interface | Robot loading/unloading interface available |
| Machine Weight | Approx. 8,000 - 12,000 kg |
| Model | -- UNSPECIFIED -- |
| Id | 599190 |
| Type | Gear Cutter Sharpeners |
| Location | India |
| First Name | Last Name |
| Will You Need Financing | YesNo |
| Yes | No |
| Will You Need Freight Service | YesNo |
| New In Stock Massachusetts United States | $6,195.00USD |
| Used Good New South Wales Australia | $51,637.60USD |
Specifications sourced from machinetools.com — verified 2026-03-28
Strengths & Limitations
Strengths
- Hobbing is the fastest external gear tooth generation process — higher material removal rate than shaping, broaching, or milling for production spur and helical gears
- 400 mm capacity covers automotive transmission gears, industrial gearbox pinions, and agricultural equipment gears in a single machine platform
- CNC automatic hob shifting extends hob tool life significantly, reducing tooling cost per part in high-volume production
- Worm wheel and splined shaft capability extends the machine's applicability beyond standard involute gears
- Module range 0.5-10 mm accommodates fine-pitch automotive gears through larger-module industrial gears without machine changes
- Samputensili's combined machine and tooling capability (hobs supplied through SAMP Group) allows machine and cutting tool to be optimized together
Limitations
- Hobbing is a soft-cutting process only — workpieces requiring hard finishing after heat treatment must proceed to a gear grinder or honing machine
- Cannot cut internal gears — for ring gears and internal gear forms, a gear shaping machine (such as the Samputensili STA 300) is required
- Run-out space requirement beyond the gear face means cluster gears and shoulder-constrained gears may require shaping instead of hobbing
- DIN 5-7 as-hobbed quality level is lower than ground gear quality — hobbing alone does not meet the DIN 3-4 requirements of most transmission final finishing specifications
- Hob arbor setup and alignment is critical for quality — improper setup leads to runout errors that directly affect tooth-to-tooth accuracy
Best For
Frequently Asked Questions
01
Gear hobbing is a generating gear cutting process in which a multi-tooth helical cutting tool (the hob) rotates while traversing axially along the rotating workpiece gear blank. Both hob and workpiece rotate in a precisely synchronized ratio, generating the involute tooth form through overlapping cuts from successive hob teeth. The SMH 400 applies this process with CNC control of all axes — hob speed, workpiece speed, axial feed, and radial feed — plus automatic hob shifting for uniform wear distribution.
02
The SMH 400 can cut external spur gears, external helical gears (left- and right-hand), worm wheels (using a tangential hobbing cycle), and splined shafts (involute and parallel splines). It cannot cut internal gears — for internal spur and helical gears, a gear shaping machine such as the Samputensili STA 300 is required.
03
In standard production, the SMH 400 achieves DIN 5-7 quality as-hobbed on unhardened (soft) gear blanks. This quality level is typical for the as-cut condition before heat treatment. For demanding applications requiring DIN 3-4 quality, workpieces are subsequently hardened and then hard-finished by grinding or honing. Premium setups with high-quality hobs, tight machine calibration, and controlled cutting conditions can achieve DIN 4 in the soft-cut condition.
04
Hob shifting is the axial displacement of the hob along its arbor between successive workpieces or batches, bringing fresh cutting edges into engagement. Manual hob shifting on conventional machines requires operator intervention and is often done infrequently, leading to concentrated wear on a small portion of the hob. CNC automatic hob shifting on the SMH 400 distributes material removal evenly across the full usable hob length in a programmed pattern, significantly extending hob tool life and reducing tooling cost per part.
05
The Samputensili SMH 400 typically prices in the range of $200,000 to $500,000 new, depending on hob arbor configuration, automation level, workholding, and options. This price range is competitive for a full-CNC horizontal gear hobber in the 400 mm diameter class and represents an accessible entry point for dedicated gear production lines and flexible job shop hobbing cells.
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