AGMA Announces Next Generation Award

News of the organization’s activities, upcoming educational and training opportunities, technical meetings and seminars, standards development, and the actions of AGMA councils and committees.

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After a year and a half of collaboration, it is my privilege to report that the AGMA Board of Directors approved the AGMA Next Generation Award at their March 2010 meeting. This new award is meant to recognize innovative work by younger individuals responsible for one or more significant achievements that have enhanced or strengthened the gear industry and/or the AGMA. It is designed to honor those who are emerging as contributors, innovators, and leaders in the gear industry and to serve as an incentive for others in the next generation of gear talent.  The achievement or contribution by the nominee will be judged by the Awards Committee for its positive impact on the gear industry and/or the AGMA. The outstanding achievement can be for technical, organizational, or managerial activities. The award will be limited to individuals from the AGMA membership and who have been engaged in the gear industry for 12 years or less.

The Next Generation Award is the first AGMA accolade in which nominees are solicited directly from the membership on an annual basis. The call for nominations will commence each September and remain open for two months. The award application will include a brief biography of the individual, a detailed explanation of the work accomplished, and a statement of how it has contributed positively to the future of the gear industry and/or the AGMA. Each application will be reviewed by the Awards Committee based on the merits and significance of the nominee’s achievements. Final approval of the successful nomination will be made by a majority vote the AGMA Board of Directors by the end of each year. Multiple recipients may be selected in any one year. If no candidates meet the award criteria, the award will not be given.

The award will be one of the AGMA’s most prestigious. The winning recipient will receive a commemorative plaque inscribed with his or her name and a voucher to attend an AGMA sponsored education program of their choice. I urge all company, consulting, and academic members to review the rising talent among their ranks and to submit a nomination for the individual who truly deserves to be recognized by their peers. The application form is available online by following the instructions in the “Award Details” box on this page, or it can be obtained from the AGMA headquarters. Let’s recognize those who will lead our industry into the future!

Award Details
To nominate someone you know go to [www.agma.org/membership/benefits] and click on “AGMA Next Generation Award Nomination Form.” The complete criteria for the award is maintained in the AGMA Policy and Practice Guide. Please contact the AGMA for additional information. The deadline for entries is Oct. 31, 2010:
Selection Process: The AGMA Next Generation Award nominations shall be reviewed and evaluated by the AGMA Awards Committee before the end of each year. Multiple recipients may be selected by the committee in any one year. If in the judgment of the committee no candidates meet the award criteria, the award will not be given. Successful nominations must be ratified by a majority vote of the AGMA Board of Directors.
Award Description: The award shall consist of a commemorative plaque inscribed with the name of the recipient and the year of the presentation, plus a voucher to attend an AGMA-sponsored education program.
Award Presentation: The AGMA Chairperson and the AGMA president shall determine the appropriate means of the award announcement and the venue of the award presentation.

AGMA Launches Multiformat Education Portal
The American Gear Manufacturers Association (AGMA) has recently launched a new education site to utilize technology and deliver dynamic content to a wider audience. The AGMA Education Portal will provide a series of high impact training courses developed for employees in gear manufacturing and those that work with gears in industry. Education will be available as live and on-demand webinars, online courses, video courses, podcasts, and more. Current offerings, available at [agma.peachnewmedia.com], include:

Detailed Gear Design (Video)
Through generous support from the AGMA Foundation we have recorded the popular Detailed Gear Design live course for wider availability. Taught by gear expert Ray Drago, P.E., students can get the full experience of the course through 15 one-hour segments and supporting training documents. Detailed Gear Design teaches students about gear design and then walks them through carefully crafted “problems” that will demonstrate the practical application of the optimization methods presented in this seminar.

Workforce Training Series* (Online)
The AGMA Workforce Training Series has been developed to assist current new and midlevel employees of gear manufacturers. The series provides a comprehensive overview of gearing to enhance students’ understanding of essential terminology and practices within the industry. Students will go through a self-paced training course followed by a test for each course. Study guides and related materials, including practice tests, are provided for optimal success. Students will also receive a copy of the Nomenclature Standard. (* This series of courses have been developed using AGMA Standards. The material references AGMA information sheet 915-1-A02 and ANSI/AGMA technical standards 2015-1-A01 and 2015-2-A06 ). The series is comprised of three courses:

Fundamentals of Gearing (Self-Paced Course): This course is a comprehensive overview of the industry. It begins with a little history of gearing and proceeds through the topics of: Parallel Axis Gear Basics, involute Tooth Form, Description of the Gear, Diametrical Pitch/Module, Pitch, Pressure Angle, and then finishes by defining a series of 37 crucial terms used in gearing.

Parallel Gear Inspection (Self-Paced Course): Level 1: The level one gear inspection module includes basic concepts for gear measurement, the tools and instruments used, the evaluation of gear characteristics, definitions of terms, and an introduction to gear quality classification. Topics covered include: Categories of measurement on a gear; Double flank composite inspection; Single flank composite inspection; The sequence of measurements; When should gear elements be measured; Mean helix slope deviation; and Classification of gear quality.

Hobbing (Self-Paced Course): This course is designed to present the basics of hobbing to hobbing machine operators, gear technicians, and engineers. It covers the following material: Hobbing process; hob cutting tool terminology; generating gears; hobbing machine terminology; measuring, mounting, and truing the hob; mounting and truing the work piece; basic part inspection; tooth size, runout; and recognizing problems.

AGMA Spline Technical Committee: Call for Participation
The American Gear Manufacturers Association (AGMA) is forming a new technical committee to fulfill the need for a comprehensive set of standards on design, rating, accuracy, application, inspection, and maintenance of splines. The formation of this new committee comes from many inquiries made to AGMA staff, by members of industry as well as a formal proposal from members of current committees including but not limited to Vehicle Gearing, Flexible Couplings, and Cutting Tools. The AGMA Technical Division Executive Committee (TDEC) unanimously approved the formation of this new group at their meeting in May.

AGMA seeks members for this new committee. Representatives of the AGMA Technical Committees must be AGMA members. An organizational teleconference was held in early September, and for more information on the results of that meeting visit [www.agma.org].
If you are interested in being involved with the work of this committee, or to become a member of the committee, please send an e-mail to Amir Aboutaleb, AGMA staff engineer, at aboutaleb@agma.org with your name, company, and recommendations for topics the new committee should consider.