Gear hobbing has been an integral part of gear making. Whereas milling would be used to produce the basic gear shape, gear hobbing performs the much more intricate task of shaping the gear. Various facets of gear teeth emerge once hobbing is complete, including its thickness, profile and addendum.

Gear hobbing is a specialised process of gear cutting, spline cutting and sprocket cutting. The central equipment in the gear hobbing process is the milling machine. This gear hobbing machine does the task of cutting the spline or teeth using a series of cuts using a hob. Gear hobbing is often used for spur gear and helical gear making, because of its ease of use and cost effectiveness.