Slotter Ram

a metal-cutting tool for cutting teeth on straight-tooth and bevel gears with external or internal gearing, for cutting tooth rims of herringbone gears with and without slots, and for cutting cluster gears, gears with protruding flanges that restrict free movement of the tool, and gear racks. A slotter ram looks like a gear equipped with correspondingly grooved cutting elements; it is made of high-speed steel. There are five types of slotter rams.

Slotter rams are divided into three classes: class AA is intended for making gears of the sixth degree of precision; class A, of the seventh degree; and class B, of the eighth degree. During the cutting of gear teeth, the slotter ram and the stock being worked are rolled over their initial circumferences without slippage. In addition to rotating, the slotter ram moves reciprocally along the axis of the stock and forward in a radial direction to an amount equal to the height of the tooth (or part of it) on the wheel being cut. Shavings are removed on the down, or work, stroke of the slotter ram; the return stroke is idle.