Archives

With the recent acquisition of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Machine Tool, Nidec Corporation has added the company’s ability to design, manufacture, and sell machine tools, cutting tools, and related products to its already impressive portfolio.

It’s not often that a company makes the leap from buying a product to acquiring the company that makes that product, but Nidec is no ordinary company. Nidec has carved itself quite the reputation of being a world leader for “everything that spins and moves,” which is what drove the company to acquire Mitsubishi Heavy […]

With the addition of the new Genesis^® 280HCD Gear Hobbing Machine, the many benefits of gear chamfering in parallel to gear hobbing are now available for a wider range of automotive and industrial applications.

While not considered a “value adding” process such as hobbing and fine finishing, cylindrical gear chamfering and deburring are getting the recognition they have long deserved today. Gear manufacturers understand that premature transmission failure, less-than-optimal efficiency, and unacceptable noise can result from application of transmission gears operating with anything less than a flawless tooth flank. […]

Removing burrs with automated machining often can be time-consuming and tedious, but a versatile, flexible honing tool can be used for cross-hole deburring all around the shop.

Delta Machine Company, LLC — based in Huntington Beach, California — is a machine shop specializing in complex, tight tolerance parts made of titanium, nickel alloys, stainless steel, aluminum, plastics, and other exotic alloys. It was recently selected as one of the 10 Best Precision Machine Shops for 2021 by a leading industry trade magazine. […]

This paper serves to confirm the principal possibility of crack detection in green powder metallurgy parts using laser vibrometry regardless of the crack location in the part and using integral vibration spectra on a PM part as a function of vibration intensity.

Cracking of green parts in powder metallurgy (PM) is a big concern in the PM industry. Detection of cracks in green parts before sintering can prevent recycling of already sintered parts or production of defective ones. As opposed to sintered parts, where the presence of cracks is well revealed by impact spectroscopy, it is challenging […]

With a product line of gear-inspection equipment used by small and large companies alike, United Tool Supply has been designing and manufacturing state-of-the-art products – including its Unite-A-Matic™ line – to inspect gears of all shapes and sizes, worldwide, for decades.

In today’s manufacturing climate, it’s true more than ever that a business can’t survive if it doesn’t treat its customers right. And that’s been a mantra for United Tool Supply for almost 50 years. It’s also a reason why the company’s customers keep coming back time and time again. “We have always been super focused […]

Bulk metallic glass could slash prices of collaborative robots and lead to advanced 3D printed metals.

Where are the robot assistants we were promised? For all the space that robots have occupied in the popular imagination for the last hundred years — and although the number of real-world automatons has been growing for decades — most people’s interactions with them remain limited to a hands-free vacuum or child’s smart toy. There […]

This article validates an analytical model for estimating load sharing of three-planet epicyclic gear sets that has been reformulated for wind-turbine gearboxes to consider the effects of gravity related to carrier-bearing clearance and moments from the rotor.

In an ideal epicyclic gear set, every parallel gear path transmits the same amount of torque. However, it is well known that certain manufacturing variations result in unequal load sharing between the parallel gear paths. Previous works have developed and validated a general closed-form analytical model of this phenomenon that describes the load-sharing characteristics of […]

ZYGO talked with Dr. Mark Malburg of Digital Metrology and Carl Musolff of Musolff Consulting to discuss how to get the most out of surface parameters; their years of front-line experience provide valuable insight into precision manufacturing processes, and why choosing the right type of metrology is critical to controlling the manufacturing process.

There are many different ways that designers specify surface texture parameters for their parts. Some specifications are good, some not so good. Some are sophisticated, some quite basic, and while all are used by today’s manufacturers, it is fair to say that some are less useful than others. Specification alternatives At the least sophisticated end, […]

Southern Gear & Machine has been manufacturing a wide range of custom precision gears for industries such as aerospace, defense, and medical for almost 65 years.

Some gear manufacturers churn out quantity, but for Southern Gear & Machine, its mission is to offer quality. “The kind of gears we make are the parts nobody else makes,” said Karen Malin, president of Southern Gear & Machine. “They are very complex parts with extremely tight tolerances. Many of our gears go through 20 […]

Pulse plasma nitriding systems can deliver more uniform case-hardening and increased speed of processing when treating high-wear parts.

In the gear manufacturing industry, when case-hardening, tempering, or nitriding the surface of steel, whether for gears or gearboxes, the options have traditionally included one of three processes: carburizing, salt-bath nitrocarburizing, or gas nitriding. Each process has advantages and disadvantages. However, those seeking more precise control of the diffusion layer formation, depth of case hardening, […]

By using 3D AI, designers of industrial and gear equipment can see virtual specs of the design and also observe how it will function in the physical world.

The race continues between the world’s largest tech leaders and companies to see which one will prevail and power the next generation of tools, technologies, and resources for manufacturing, healthcare, construction, and many other vertical market applications. These companies have been working tirelessly to create changes that will make a significant impact on our world. […]

Sinto America, Inc. and its group of operating companies provides high quality, cost-effective, and innovative equipment and solutions to a variety of industries throughout North America.

Every Sinto America employee takes pride in ensuring the best possible outcome for any challenge that comes its way. As a matter of fact, the company’s very name boasts a clue to that philosophy. In Japanese, Sinto is written as two characters: “new” and “east.” Within those two simple words are the key to how […]

A simplified approach for quick and reliable heat analyses for thermal lead correction of single-stage double helical high-speed gears has been developed.

For high-speed applications, gears of large dimensions and high-power density are used. Temperature distribution in those rotors is much different in operation as compared to manufacturing. Therefore, the tooth contact as it can be validated by blue ink during assembly is not only affected by distortion and bending under load but also by non-uniform thermal […]

When using the proper design software, manufacturers are able to go from the desired gear to the perfect skiving tool.

There are already an infinite number of different gear geometries. Nevertheless, engineers are constantly coming up with new variants. For example, gears are becoming smaller, more complex, and lighter. At the same time, the demand for performance — quiet, smooth operation, even under highest load — is always higher. The variety of gears knows no […]

Advanced finishing and grinding technologies will be needed to produce extremely complex and precise surface features in gear teeth to enhance efficiency and reduce noise, thereby improving customer satisfaction.

It has become abundantly clear that not only are electric vehicles (EVs) becoming more prevalent on the roads but that almost all automotive companies are announcing plans where EVs will eventually dominate their product portfolio. As the shift from internal combustion (IC) to electric continues, the number of drivetrain components will dramatically lessen. And the […]

The benefits of close interaction between gear designers and heat-treat specialists can lead to total cost and quality optimization.

Often the options of heat treat may feel pre-defined when looked at from a gear designer’s perspective. There are options, but both gear designers and some heat-treat manufacturers are constrained by limited exposure to the fundamental physics that drive the process performed by the equipment available. The heat-treat industry is old and rich with experience, […]

The focus in the area of metrology for AM is to reduce the time and cost inefficiencies inherent today of relying on a vast range of duplicate and often inadequate metrology steps to validate that an end-use part is fit for purpose.

Undoubtedly there are many benefits associated with the use of additive manufacturing (AM) as a production technology. Across industries, manufacturers exploit the fact that, through the use of AM, they can not only build complex parts — in one piece — which were previously impossible, but they can also build stronger, lighter-weight parts, reduce material […]

Uncover the factors, technologies, and financial models that can help make a business more predictable and future-proof.

Unforeseen disruptions, market fluctuations, and macroeconomic issues. The last year alone has exposed the unpredictable nature of the market and supply chains. Even new competitors popping up from other industries — think Google competing with CNC machine providers, a pump OEM, or a water fixture manufacturing company — can make or break a business. Finding […]

The only retention knob designed to run the gamut on eliminating V-Flange CNC milling problems.

It is common knowledge in the CNC manufacturing community that if you use V-Flange tooling, you use retention knobs, which are the critical interface between the spindle and the toolholder and tool. Often considered nothing more than a bolt, the knob is actually a precision tool made to strict specifications and tolerances. While some machine-tool […]

Solar Atmospheres takes advanced technical expertise and equipment and uses it to thermally treat parts in a vacuum environment – serving industries that include aerospace, automotive, defense, medical, and power generation.

Gears and other parts made from metals and metal alloys have to be heat-treated to ensure proper performance, and Solar Atmospheres was born out of that need to offer quality vacuum heat-treating services. “Generally speaking, we offer vacuum heat treating, which produces clean bright results with limited distortion on most alloys,” said Tim Steber, regional […]

Forest City Gear is boldly going where no gear jobber has gone before, with the first Gleason GP300ES Gear Shaping Machine featuring a 40-percent faster cutter spindle speed.

The search for intelligent life on Mars took a big leap forward on February 18, 2021, when Perseverance, NASA’s latest Mars Rover, touched down on the surface of the Red Planet. Its mission? To seek signs of ancient life and collect rock and soil samples for possible return to Earth, as well as pave the […]

The proposed method of identifying the content of corrective and warning actions allows
for systematic identification of corrective actions to effectively improve the quality of cylindrical gears.

The article reveals the main provisions of technical diagnostics of a gear hobbing machine system with CNC on the diagnostic parameters of the profile of the sides of the teeth. The scheme of embedding diagnostic processes in the cycle of improving the quality of manufacture of gears. The developed scheme is universal and applicable to […]

A simplified power-transfer system of gears and shafts connected through involute splines is used to study the influence of spline lead variations on gear-mesh behavior and load distribution on the gear teeth.

Involute splines are widely used in mechanical systems to connect power transmitting gears to their supporting shafts. These splines are as susceptible as gears to manufacturing variations, which change their loading pattern and may eventually lead to failures. The influence of manufacturing variations of spline teeth on performance and failure mechanisms of spline couplings is […]

Using novel metal alloys and patented technologies that eliminate the need for time-consuming and expensive machining and post processing of parts, Amorphology produces gears and other components with alloys that have material advantages over steel and titanium.

When a robot arm is executing a delicate maneuver in the harsh vacuum of space, it’s imperative the gears necessary for success be created with high-tech alloys and precision engineering. Amorphology takes that directive very seriously and, in the company’s short history, has developed patented alloys and methods to design and manufacture gears with the […]

In the design of transmissions, the high demands on running and noise behavior are fulfilled by specific topography designs, therefore a compromise must be found between low gear excitation, sufficient load carrying capacity, and high efficiency.

The noise behavior of transmission is mainly caused by the excitation in the gear mesh. The standardized design and calculation methods for gears concentrate on the reduction of the excitation level. However, often the physical noise characteristics do not conform with the human noise perception. Thus, gear design rules and guidelines are required that are […]

Taking care of any necessary forging equipment repairs, rebuilds, or remanufactures now ensures forgers will be ready for the economic rebound.

Forging has long been used to manufacture gears, particularly in the production of gear blanks, which often uses open-die forging, closed-die forging, and hot upset forging. Other gear forging processes include normalizing, gear shaving, grinding machining, turning machining, hobbing on shaper machines, and heat treatment. High-energy rate forging is also used to manufacture near- or […]

Presenting a methodology to measure gear root strain distribution, as well as an analytical method to convert the measurements into flank load distribution.

Strain gauges are commonly used to obtain the load intensity distribution on the flank of a gear mesh. The standard methodology consists in installing a set of gauges at the tooth root and measuring the strain distribution there. In order to get the load distribution on the flank, the strain data must be processed and […]

With more than 30 years of experience, Machine Tooling Technology offers compatible parts and tooling for the keyseater industry.

As machine shops have modernized, many of them still rely on keyseater machines that are used to cut internal shapes and forms for large gears. Some keyseater machines still in operation are decades old, and, since a new one can cost upwards of $1 million, it’s essential to keep these used machines running. Although Machine […]

Hob quality is critical to high-quality gear manufacturing, and this concept begins
with the purchase of certified, high-quality hobs that meet AGMA standards.

The quality of a hob directly affects the final quality of the gear it generates. AGMA has developed a standard covering the allowable tolerances for fine and coarse pitch hobs. This standard is ANSI/AGMA 1102-B13, Tolerance Specification for Gear Hobs, which is the latest revision of AGMA120.1. If there is a quality problem in the […]

A new fixture design minimizes runout and helps ensure greater accuracy for hard finishing and inspection.

Gear manufacturers are turning to workholding to help reduce costs without compromising quality. Pitch Line Fixtures, for example, can be used to provide a more precise relationship between the pinion/gear member datums and the gear teeth, thus reducing the amount of runout on those datums relative to the pitch diameter (pitch line) of the gear […]

Incorporating the effect of lubrication characteristics, gear geometry, surface finish, and operating conditions into an algorithm can accurately predict sliding losses over a range of operating conditions for a standard set of gears.

Gearbox efficiency is becoming increasingly important for vehicle manufacturers to help achieve their overall fuel savings goals. Enhancing gearbox efficiency is also critical in saving the up-front cost and overall unreliability of gearbox cooling. It is well known that at high power levels, for current low-speed gears, gear sliding losses dominate the overall gearbox losses. […]

AIMS Metrology is an original equipment manufacturer that builds its own CMM models, which, in turn, benefits its customers by providing a ‘one-stop shop’ and a CMM supply company.

When customers come to the experts at AIMS Metrology for their inspection and measurement requirements, they can count on one thing: The solution will be a team effort. “We attack every project  as a team,” said Mark Gearding, vice president and co-owner of AIMS. “It’s not just one person. We have a cross-trained group of […]

It’s important to employ best practices in order to identify gearset problems before they fail.

When gears fail, it is most often due to fatigue and overloading. The most common form of distress and failure is actual breakage, but other modes of distress include surface fatigue known as pitting, normal and abnormal wear, and plastic flow. What distress and failure look like depends on the type of gear. Gears that […]

Viscosity, load, material compatibility, noise emissions, component life, and the recommended service temperature range of an application should all be considered prior to selecting a worm gear grease.

To compete in the marketplace, engineers across all industries are being tasked with increasing gearbox efficiency. Modern designs therefore must achieve high-power transfer without generating noise or excess heat. Gears have been pushed to design limits as they are required to run at higher speeds, under heavier loads, and for longer periods of time. Lubrication […]

Power Skiving – a viable alternative to hobbing and broaching – is establishing new quality and cost benchmarks with integrated resharpening, which revolutionizes the manufacturing process and current tooling concepts.

Gear manufacturing by Power Skiving takes the traditional approach: After a cutter has reached its maximum wear, the operator changes the cutter, adjusts the cutter data, cuts the next workpiece, transfers it to the inspection room, waits for the first part inspection, and – if necessary – corrects the process by adjusting the machine parameters […]

Nordex designs and produces fully integrated turnkey subsystems for medical, laboratory and industrial analytical instruments, factory automation, power transmission, robotics, defense and aerospace, and the semi-conductor OEM industries.

With a constantly changing industry, it’s of utmost importance to remain on the cutting edge of gear manufacturing and design, and Nordex has ridden the crest of that cutting-edge wave for decades. “We’re an engineering-driven company,” said Dan Agius Jr., CFO, General Counsel, and part owner of Nordex Inc. “We’re staffed with gear experts, and […]

The available approaches for calculating the worm shaft deflection of worm gears compared with different calculation approaches and experimental tests show large deviations between existing calculation models and experimental results.

Worm gear drives are characterized by a simple design, which allows the realization of a high gear ratio within one stage. Furthermore, they are characterized by low vibration and noise behavior. For these reasons, they are used both as power transmissions and servo drives in various drive solutions. The allowable load and the lifetime of […]

Worm gearing that features line contact between tooth flanks of a worm gear and thread surfaces of a mating worm has a tremendous potential of application in today’s industry as it fits the requirements of high-power-density transmissions.

The article deals with geometrically-accurate worm gear pairs that feature line contact between tooth flanks of a worm gear and thread surfaces of a mating worm. Worm gearing of this kind can be viewed as a reduced case of  R — gearing (R — gearing was proposed by Prof. Radzevich in about 2008). At the […]

New advancements in multi-sensor platforms combine the best features of vision and touch-probe gear inspection for maximum accuracy and speed.

Demand for accurate gears delivered on tight schedules is increasing. To keep pace, technology is continually advancing, enabling manufacturers to do more in the same amount of time. Add in competitive global market pressure, and the need for efficiency is more important than ever. To sustain profitability, companies need to keep up with market demands, […]

A digital visual inspection station can improve quality control and protect operators.

We are in an era where modern technology and automation are rapidly evolving and pushing out conventional hand-operated tools. The LED magnifying glass lamp is among the instruments being phased out of quality inspection operations and replaced with new high-definition digital visual inspection stations. Top gear makers, among many types of manufacturers and quality control […]

Gear Motions specializes in supplying custom-cut and ground gears for OEMs across the globe and is capable of manufacturing all types of custom gears.

Even with a history that stretches across more than a century, it’s been an important part of the success of Gear Motions to continue to keep a solid eye on the future. “Our evolution has been dramatic at times and incremental at other times,” said Dean Burrows, president and CEO of Gear Motions. “We were […]

When designing and manufacturing gears, the materials used will depend on what type of gear is being made and how and where it will be used.

When designing an individual gear or a gear train, the choice of material will either be the primary factor on which the gear geometry is based or the gear performance will dictate the proper material selection. There are various raw materials that are commonly used in gear construction, and each one has a sweet spot […]

The nonlinear dynamic characteristic of a DLC-coated gear transmission system is analyzed by using a numerical integration approach, and the effect of the coating elastic modulus on the dynamic response is investigated.

Coatings can significantly improve the load-carrying performance of a gear surface, but how they affect the vibration characteristic of the system is an urgent issue to be solved. Considering the nonlinear factors such as the variable mesh stiffness, friction, backlash, and transmission error, a six-degree-of-freedom spur gear transmission system with coatings is presented. Meanwhile, the […]

Electric vehicles are set to disrupt automotive industry trends over the years ahead, which will have an effect on gear manufacturing.

In the modern world, there is no limit to the varieties of vehicles available in the market. From variations in engine types such as gas and electric to diverse drivetrains such as four-wheel or front-wheel drives, the options for automobiles are nearly endless, designed to fulfill ever-evolving consumer needs. Despite the diversity in terms of […]