On the Gildemeister multi-spindle lathe AS16, AS20, GS20, GM20, GM20AC, two 1406003 bronze gear are installed.
One gear drives the rotation of the left-hand camshafts, which—through the fitted cams—generate the movement of the radial slides and the rotation of the auxiliary controls, i.e. all machine movements that are carried out during the lathe’s idle times.

A second identical gear ring is installed to transmit rotation to the right-hand shafts, which—via the cams—control the front (axial) movement of tools or drills for operations such as drilling, tapping, broaching, part pick-up, and the movement of axial slides for longitudinal turning.

The bronze gear performs one revolution per produced part and operates at two different rotational speeds, divided into:

• Cycle time: through a rotation of 210°, it carries out the machining of the part.

• Transfer time: the gear ring performs a rapid rotation of 150° in 0.7 seconds; during this rotation, the bar feed, collet opening and closing, drum indexing and drum locking via a latch are carried out.

Correct operation of the bronze gear determines the accuracy of the machine and of the machined parts, and it strongly affects the machine’s operating reliability.
The bronze gear  is a wear spare part, and correct installation is essential for service life.