A cutting tool is disclosed which includes a tool body having a mounting portion to be secured to a machine tool and having a plurality of insert receiving recesses formed therein. A plurality of cutting inserts are releasably attached to the insert receiving recesses, respectively. The tool body has a nitrided hard layer formed on a surface thereof. Furthermore, a clamp member used in the tool preferably has an abutment surface to be held in abutting contact with the insert or other parts and a chip-contacting surface with which cutting chips produced during cutting operation are brought into contact. The chip-contacting surface is defined by a nitriding hard layer formed on a precision-cast unglazed surface, and has a surface which is left without finish-working. Furthermore, a method for producing a cutting tool which includes a tapped hole formed therein and having an inner surface defining an unnitrided portion is disclosed. In this method, a plug is first threaded into the tapped hole. Subsequently, the tool body is subjected to nitriding treatment to form a hard layer on the surface of the tool body, and the plug is subsequently removed from the tool body.

A gear hobbing cutter system that includes a cutter head body having a plurality of cartridge-receiving slots arranged in pairs comprising an inside and an outside cartridge-receiving slot. Each pair of inside and outside cartridge-receiving slots are capable of receiving a respective inside and outside cartridge assembly. To ensure that the inside and outside cartridge assemblies are properly positioned within their respective cartridge-receiving slots, one of the dimensions, preferably the length, of the inside cartridge-receiving slot and its respective inside cartridge assembly of a pair is different than the outside cartridge-receiving slot its respective outside cartridge assembly so as to form an error proofing system. A deformable area is provided between the cartridge-receiving slot and the cutter head body. The deformable area includes a flex area for controlling an amount of deformation of the deformable area when a clamping member bears against a clamping pad. The invention provides for a cartridge assembly including a cutting insert that can be indexable to at least two cutting edges, thereby providing cost savings as compared to conventional cutter systems that use cutter blades that required to be entirely scraped when worn or broken.

A cutter head assembly and method of assembly design for use with a continuously indexing gear cutting machine is described as including slots formed through the face of said assembly of particular orientation for receiving cutting tools characterized by their front faces requiring no resharpening. The assembly is adaptive to cut a range of job requirements while preserving the front face portion of the cutting tools.

A gear hobbing cutter system that includes a cutter head body having a plurality of cartridge-receiving slots arranged in pairs comprising an inside and an outside cartridge-receiving slot. Each pair of inside and outside cartridge-receiving slots are capable of receiving a respective inside and outside cartridge assembly. To ensure that the inside and outside cartridge assemblies are properly positioned within their respective cartridge-receiving slots, one of the dimensions, preferably the length, of the inside cartridge-receiving slot and its respective inside cartridge assembly of a pair is different than the outside cartridge-receiving slot its respective outside cartridge assembly so as to form an error proofing system. In addition, the invention provides for a cartridge assembly including a cutting insert that can be indexable to at least two cutting edges, thereby providing cost savings as compared to conventional cutter systems that use cutter blades that required to be entirely scraped when worn or broken.

A cutting tool is disclosed which includes a tool body having a mounting portion to be secured to a machine tool and having a plurality of insert receiving recesses formed therein. A plurality of cutting inserts are releasably attached to the insert receiving recesses, respectively. The tool body has a nitrided hard layer formed on a surface thereof. Furthermore, a clamp member used in the tool preferably has an abutment surface to be held in abutting contact with the insert or other parts and a chip-contacting surface with which cutting chips produced during cutting operation are brought into contact. The chip-contacting surface is defined by a nitriding hard layer formed on a precision-cast unglazed surface, and has a surface which is left without finish-working. Furthermore, a method for producing a cutting tool which includes a tapped hole formed therein and having an inner surface defining an unnitrided portion is disclosed. In this method, a plug is first threaded into the tapped hole. Subsequently, the tool body is subjected to nitriding treatment to form a hard layer on the surface of the tool body, and the plug is subsequently removed from the tool body.