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With customers ranging from NASA–for which it built parts for the Mars rovers–to off-road vehicle enthusiasts, Gerhardt Gear truly is a different kind of gear company.

Picture California and you probably think of beaches, sunny skies, and a generally laid-back attitude. But thoughts also lead to industries such as aerospace, filmmaking, and even gear manufacturing. Gerhardt Gear, which is located in Burbank, is the perfect synthesis of all these images. “Many of our employees are young guys, and we’re into surfing, […]

The following article explores the feasibility of center-less finishing of the pinion with a modified tooth surface in the mass productions of gears in the automotive industry.

This paper is dedicated to engineers who work in the field of machining precise gears for the needs of the automotive industry. Crowning of the pinion provides a localized bearing contact and a favorable type of transmission error for misaligned gears in car transmissions. A new method for gear crowning — i.e. a method for […]

Wind farming–already a viable energy source in Europe and some U.S. states—may present a promising new market for gear manufacturers. Here’s a progress report straight from the field.

Renewable Wind Energy Production (RWEP) in Wyoming has been related to three locations in the state: Cheyenne, Arlington, and Evanston. The listing is in accordance with facility age and size in terms of total capacity in megawatts. Wyoming is in an enviable position regarding its assets, with huge public-land reserves for oil, natural gas, coal, […]

A glance back to the early days of gear design will give you a newfound appreciation for the equipment and technology that speeds your progress through an average workday.

In the past 50 years, we’ve certainly come a long way in terms of our gear design and problem-solving capabilities. But even though the analog world was considerably different from the digital world we find ourselves in today, many of the problems were not so different. So how were problems related to gears solved back […]

Just a few years away from celebrating its 100th anniversary, Kreiter Geartech continues to prosper as a world-class manufacturer of high-speed custom gearing.

Based in Houston, and founded in 1910, Kreiter Geartech has been closely associated with oil-field operations for nearly a century. And while that industry is still an important part of its business, the company made a conscious decision in the mid eighties to diversify its activities, specifically by focusing on high-speed gearing for compressors and […]

A family run operation in the truest sense, B&R Machine and Gear bases its success on the simplest of themes: honesty, delivery, customer service, and quality.

Although he was raised in Chicago, where he also made his start in the gear manufacturing industry in 1952, Bennie Boxx, Sr., was born in Sidonia, Tennessee. While on vacation there in 1978, he spotted a building in the nearby town of Sharon that he thought would be perfect for the company he’d started four […]

Paying attention to details and growing in a methodical manner has allowed Dan Schwartz to break from the pack and emerge as an American success story.

Fifteen years ago Dan Schwartz found himself in a bit of a professional quandary, caught somewhere between the shop floor and a glass ceiling. “I’d spent about eight years working my way up from running machines to middle management at a company called Patterson Gear,” he says. “That’s when I realized I wasn’t satisfied with […]

Cost savings, a streamlined production process, and increased quality are only a few of the reasons why die casting is an excellent alternative for manufacturing small gears.

For many applications, zinc alloy die cast gears provide an opportunity to dramatically cut manufacturing costs and improve part-to-part consistency. The cost of simple spur gears, as well as complex helical and worm gears, can be cut by up to 80 percent. Die casting can enhance rack gear performance by incorporating features unattainable by other […]

In many instances, plastic materials perform markedly better than do metals—especially in gears. Read on to learn the details that will allow you to make the best choice for your operation.

Since founding Timco in 1967, I’ve been riding a steep learning curve regarding plastic materials and the machine parts that we make from engineered plastics. Just when I thought that this strenuous curve was about to level off due to my retirement, my colleagues asked me to write about machined plastic gears. I hope this […]

With benefits including no heat buildup or chip problems, rotary saw cutting has emerged as the premier process for producing quality gear blanks.

It stays cool, it doesn’t produce problematic chips, it cuts with ease … it’s the Super Tool! Well, not really. It’s simply a rotating circular saw blade. But the circular saw blade is too often overlooked as a possible tool when making parts turned from bar stock, such as gear blanks. Screw machine operators have […]

From humble beginnings, Clarke Gear has spent the past 50 years building its reputation—and its success—on a passion for manufacturing.

In many ways, it’s a story worthy of a Hollywood screenplay: a young man — only a teenager at the time — learns the gear-manufacturing business alongside his father, then deciding to carry the legacy forward after his father’s untimely death, even when various advisors were urging him to liquidate. A bit farther down the […]

Exhaustive research supports new methods for designing and manufacturing straight bevel gears that are stronger and more cost-effective than ever before.

The optimal — or “rational” — design of gears can be a challenge due to the high number of variables, limitations, and interrelationships involved. And also because, in each separate case, the objective functions, restrictions, and independent variables are generally different. Many of the specialists who have approached gear optimization by means of exhaustive search […]

The thought of using lasers for heat treating may seem a bit too high-tech for some, but Preco makes an excellent case for its many benefits in a wide variety of applications.

Laser technology has been used for many years with much success in industries such as power generation, hydraulics, hand tools, and machine tools. Showing great promise for the gear industry, laser heat treating is an emerging trend, especially for a gear manufacturer who needs short runs, specials, or limited treatment requirements. Benefits include lower tooling […]

Since its acquisition of the Fellows Corporation, Bourn & Koch has breathed new life into a well-known and respected product line with the HS650 Gearless Shaper.

Bourn & Koch, Inc., has been on a growth path for the past number of years. The growth has been accomplished by acquisitions and new product development, both during times when the market has been shrinking. One of our latest acquisitions was the Fellows Corporation, in July 2002. The product line was well respected in […]

A fascinating history of the broaching process—and how old techniques have been made new again—by the industry expert, Broaching Machine Specialties Co.

Although it’s not one of the most common machining operations, broaching has been around the metal working industry for well over a century. The process — one of the quickest and most precise metal removal methods available — has come a long way since the first broach “drift” was hammered through cast iron well over […]

The original expanding mandrel was patented by William J. LeCount in 1847, so there’s no better source of advice than the president of LeCount, Inc.

Brace yourself, because your workday is about to undergo a significant change. As hard as it may be to believe, after reading this article, you will never again have to stress out over selecting the proper expanding mandrel for a particular job. Gears come in all shapes and sizes, and they come with all sorts […]

With capabilities ranging from designing unique machines to remanufacturing and retrofitting, Bourn & Koch continues its tradition as a true industry innovator.

Even though Bourn & Koch was established nearly three decades ago, it could be said that its roots actually stretch back more than 100 years through its acquisition of the Fellows Corporation, which was founded in 1896. Even prior to that purchase, Bourn & Koch had bought other industry stalwarts such as the Barber Colman […]

Precision, excellent surface finish, and high fatigue strength are just a few of the advantages to be achieved using cylindrical die worm rolling.

The last two decades have brought about an evolution in automotive gear manufacturing. It was apparent 10 years ago that automatic transmission manufacturers were headed in a direction that would require post heat treated gears be hard finished, not only as a broad requirement to improve accuracy and reliability, but to also attain noise reductions, […]

With economic indicators pointing upward, Midwest Gear is poised to make the most of its newfound activity.

Worm gears are often used as a simple and effective solution for power transmission applications. The load carrying capacity of worm drive gearboxes has been constantly increasing over the last few years. The most important parameters for high performance gear drives are the latest calculation methods, new materials, modern manufacturing procedures and, last but not […]

Looking for an affordable, rapid setup alternative to the traditional gear grinding process? Drake’s new GS:G2 has the flexibility to handle a variety of grinding roles.

Sometimes a new machine is just destined to happen. Markets evolve, new technologies emerge, and an experienced machine tool builder seizes the opportunity. The result: the right machine, at the right time, at the right price. Drake Manufacturing, which is located in Warren, Ohio, is putting the finishing touches on a highly productive 6-axis gear […]

Innovation is a must in today’s competitive manufacturing environment, so KAPP has designed machines that are coupled to provide grinding and Coroning in a single automated process.

The KAPP Group has recently introduced a combined process for the hard finishing of transmission gears for the automotive industry that involves two machines–one for grinding and the other for CoroningTM (honing) — that are designed specifically to work in tandem with one another. The conventional process for mass producing gears needed to be improved. […]

With economic indicators pointing upward, Midwest Gear is poised to make the most of its newfound activity.

It’s a simple economic fact: A large company locates in a particular area, operates for a number of years, and dozens of smaller companies are spawned as a result — often by employees longing to start their own businesses. Such were the beginnings of Midwest Gear, which was founded in Twinsburg, Ohio, in 1972 by […]

You’re an AGMA member, and you’ve attended Gear Expo, but this feature describes activities—especially those having to do with ISO–of which you may not be aware.

Editor’s note: In this special feature I’ve decided to depart from our usual format and allow Joe Franklin to speak in his own words about AGMA’s international advocacy of its member’s concerns and interests. This feature merely scratches the surface of our lengthy conversation, but I feel that it’s an important opportunity for you to […]

You’ve built your company into a profitable enterprise, so it may be time to consider ISO certification. Here’s why… and how.

There comes a time when every manufacturer should consider attaining ISO certification. Not only can it lead to greater market penetration — specifically reaching those companies who require ISO certification from its vendors — but it can help to streamline your company’s internal processes as well. The following is a list of questions presented by […]

With the cost of testing and measurement equipment more reasonable than ever before, why not move your measuring to the shop floor?

Take a peek into the machining cells at progressive large-volume gear manufacturers these days and you’ll likely see more measuring devices cropping up on the shop floor right next to the machines, measuring noise, roundness, surface roughness, or contour virtually in real time. Then take a peek at those same manufacturers’ productivity, yield, and customer-reject […]

Precision, excellent surface finish, and high fatigue strength are just a few of the advantages to be achieved using cylindrical die worm rolling.

Cylindrical die worm rolling is a proven high-speed process which can produce precise worms with excellent surface finish and high fatigue strength when correctly applied. In this process, a surface of revolution such as a thread, knurl, spline, worm, or gear is formed in a deformable material by a set of cylindrical rolling dies which […]

SSS has the history, the experience, the products, and the management team to meet any of the challenges they may encounter on the road to success.

At the age of 79, most people — if they’re still around at all — have adopted a fairly sedentary lifestyle. They’ve retired to the fairways and their front porches, maybe doing a little gardening, but their days of professional growth are mostly a thing of the past. That’s not the case with well-run companies, […]

Improved cutting efficiency, lower running costs, and environmentally sound operations are just a few of the advantages provided by Mitsubishi’s new machine design.

In recent years, environmental safety requirements have been raised around the world, and many companies are seeking to acquire ISO14000 certification to meet international environmental standards. As part of this effort, coolant-free metal cutting methods are being devised and implemented in factories, and not only to improve the working environment, but also to protect the […]

There is a long list of factors to consider when heat treating gears. Here is an in-depth examination of those variables that will help you minimize distortion during the process.

Power transmission gear manufacturing for critical industrial applications (Figure 1) requires an understanding of many factors, including both heat treat process-related variables (pretreatment, load arrangement, process selection and technique, quench considerations, and equipment design) and the various component-related variables that influence distortion (material chemistry, hardenability, part geometry, design considerations, and steel quality). Factors That Influence […]

You may think that a relationship with a used-machinery dealer involves little more than a transaction, but there are many value-added services that can sweeten the deal.

We don’t usually associate the word “advantage” with the concept of “working through” someone else when it comes to purchasing equipment. Instead, we instinctively attach impressions like “additional costs,” or “delays,” or even “used car dealer” — the worst slight of all! — to such a relationship. But the fact is that we’re buyers, too, […]

With its roots in the country’s efforts during WWII, St. Louis Gear has since established a reputation for excellent service and precision gears.

The world was at war, and as men swelled the ranks of the U.S. military fighting overseas, many women stepped in to fill the positions they had vacated. “Rosie the Riveter” became a familiar face on posters during WWII as women donned coveralls, rolled up their sleeves, and kept the country’s manufacturing facilities humming in […]

Less noise and increased power density are just two advantages of the new type of helical gearing known as “OptiGearing.”

Introduction A 25 to 35 percent increase in power density and a markedly lower operating noise are two major performance advantages that a new type of helical gearing, called “OptiGearing,” offers over conventional helical gearing. These advantages are a result of three novel features incorporated in OptiGearing: 1) A major change in the type and […]

With 53 different combinations of carburized ground tooth spiral bevel gears in stock–and more than 50 years of experience–Arrow Gear is helping its customers to compete.

A sagging economy and the fierce demands of global competition are unfortunate realities that all manufacturers have been faced with in recent years. The fallout has come in the form of lost revenue and the elimination of millions of jobs. In Downers Grove, Illinois, however, one company is taking steps that will help manufacturers in […]

Considering its many positive properties, a strong argument can be made for converting to ductile iron, and many in the industry have already made the switch.

Cast iron is generally thought of as a weak, dirty, cheap, brittle material that does not have a place in applications requiring high strength and defined engineering properties. While gray cast iron is relatively brittle by comparison with steel, ductile iron is not. In fact, ductile iron has strengths and toughness very similar to steel, […]

DDS modeling is a quick, easy, precise, and cost-effective means of mapping the contact points on a wide variety of gear surfaces.

Direct Digital Simulation (DDS) is a universal method for computer modeling of gear design manufacturing and analyses. Unlike the commonly used differential geometry, the DDS method is based on Boolean operations. DDS does not require calculating first or second derivatives for finding the envelope of surfaces. The DDS method finds the envelope of the surfaces […]

As the world grows smaller each year, via the Internet and highly efficient delivery systems, acquiring quality products is no longer subject to geographical proximity.

Nearly three decades ago, in 1976, a man by the name of Yong Bae, Chun decided to start a company of his own. He wanted to call it the Dragon Precision Tools Co., in part because his name, “Yong,” literally translates to the word “dragon.” Chun had made his start in the gear business. At […]

Embracing new technologies places engineers at the center of the gear-design proces

Two-dimensional and 3D CAD programs have continually lessened the role of the engineer in the actual process of designing gears, gear mechanisms, and mechanisms in general. This unilateral phenomenon can be corrected by using ACADS to increase the designer’s interactivity and creativity in that process. Countless examples of this have been available since April 2003, […]

Is in-house hob sharpening an advantage, or just dollars up the dust collector? Read on to learn more.

Deciding on the benefits of in-house hob sharpening depends on a number of factors that gear manufacturers are faced with when determining the allocation of resources to indirect labor dollars. A well-run hob sharpening facility can be a significant advantage to a gear manufacturer. However, as overhead costs are constantly under the microscope in lean […]

The new three-face grinding blade design for dry cutting spiral bevel gears guarantees higher process capability, shorter handling sequences, and longer part runs.

In the past five years, dry-cutting technology has steadily moved to dominate production of automotive hypoid gearsets in the United States, while a parallel trend has occurred in Europe. The significant difference between wet cutting with high-speed steel and carbide cutting is higher productivity, better quality, increased ecological friendliness, and lower total cost of production. […]

Depending on the type of tooling, a single face driver may replace several solid ring drivers. Read on to learn more.

Ever-increasing demands on manufacturers to improve productivity and quality have led to the need for faster and more accurate machine techniques. Face driving arose to help meet these demands. Originally developed in Europe, it has become increasingly popular in the United States in the last decade. With chucks and grinding dogs the part must be […]

Since its beginnings as a solution to a physicist’s problem, this company has become a powerhouse in the production of high-precision gears.

It was the early 1940s, and the war was raging overseas. Back on the homefront, hundreds of thousands of scientists, researchers, and engineers were training their knowledge and expertise on supporting that effort. One of them was a physicist by the name of Thomas M. Perry, of Canton Center, Connecticut, who was working with the […]

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Splines are necessary for many reasons. In addition to transmission of torque, spline profiles are used to find and centralize the axis between a splined shaft and a splined hub located in the mating part. While it is possible to achieve this result with major diameter/minor diameter fits of the mating splines, the true centering […]

A comprehensive description of the difference between actual and effective tooth thickness/circular space width of involute splines.

While splines have been manufactured for decades, they still seem to perplex the manufacturing engineer who is trying to insure the proper assembly of two mating components. The case frequently arises in which “the dimension over pins is within limits, but the parts won’t assemble.” Understanding why this happens — and learning how to avoid […]

The electronic revolution of recent years has brought the world to our fingertips, and new software provides that same immediate information access to the manufacturing process.

In an age of information systems, we have immediate access to everything from our e-mail to the Internet. Gear manufacturers now have a system that will provide them with immediate access to their manufacturing data in real time. Gear metrology systems now are being networked and data linked so that they share files and programs. […]

Long used for the successful lubrication of worm gears, polyglycol-based synthetic oils now present a viable option for large enclosed gear drives.

Introduction In modern-day gear technology, the lube oil used is an important element of the gear’s overall design. Increasingly stringent requirements for large enclosed gear drives–of the kind used in the wind power sector, for example–and the base materials industry now necessitate the use of synthetic oils. Although the feedback regarding the use of synthetic […]

Compared to petroleum lubricants, synthetics run longer and cleaner, are more versatile, and can even cost less.

Petroleum oils may always have a place in the world of gearing, but as mechanisms run hotter and faster, quality demands increase, and extended warranties push service life, interest in synthetic gear lubricants continues to grow. Selecting the best lubricant for an application isn’t always easy. The American Gear Manufacturers Association (AGMA) has developed an […]

With more than 700 employees worldwide, the Kapp Group retains its position as a leader in the gear-manufacturing industry.

According to Thomas J. Lang, vice president and general manager of Kapp Technologies, in Boulder, Colorado, the company known worldwide for its gear-grinding machines and tools has its origins in a somewhat unexpected area: that of woodworking. “In the early 1950s Dr. Bernhard Kapp was a mechanical engineer who worked for a company called Waldrich, […]

For many years researchers have struggled to refine the process of using powder metal to form lower-cost and higher-quality gears. Nissei describes its work in bringing that dream one step closer to reality.

In this article we introduce a finish rolling process for sintered Fe alloy gears using a new CNC form rolling machine: the Galaxy, which has been developed by Nissei Co. Ltd. The Galaxy is a two-roller dies plunge feed type in which seven axes are numerically and simultaneously controlled during rolling, reaching the highest precision […]

Automated deburring systems help manufacturers save time and—most importantly—money.

Today’s marketplace offers a wide spectrum of needs for all types of manufacturers: from the job shops needing quick and easy changeovers for a wide variety of parts, to those who manufacture the same parts day after day. These parts can be almost anything manufactured, but very common in the mix are gears. All types […]

Relating gear pairs to manufacturing errors may lead to better designs for mated gears.

Gear whine noise, particularly in consumer products such as motor vehicles and appliances, is an important and annoying problem. This problem has been exacerbated due to the continual reduction in sounds from other system noise exciters such as motors, engines, and wind. In an effort to control gear whine noise, one must select both the […]

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While the AGMA Powder Metallurgy gear committee has referenced 48 pitch as a working limit for fine pitch powder metal gears, production processes are now routinely being used to produce ultra fine pitch P/M gears with a pitch as fine as 96 DP. These gears would be difficult at best, in a steel alloy, but […]

Powder metal is poised to become a viable option for manufacturers seeking lower production costs and higher-precision gears.

Market demand for more cost-effective processes to produce higher-performance product continues to increase. To meet this reality, manufacturers who often still consider gear-cutting as core technology are being forced to look hard at those processes capable of producing net-shape geometry. After all, a large percentage of the cost for manufacturing a gearbox is tied up […]

Faced with a faltering economy, changing product designs, and new challenges from developing countries, Nachi regroups to remain a leader in the gear-making game.

Years ago, as the story is told — and long before Nachi-Fujikoshi purchased the 76 year-old National Broach & Machine Co. — a certain gear worker began setting the company’s machine tools apart from the others by painting a red ring around them. Asked why, he said that they worked the best, and he didn’t […]

At a time when strategic planning is more crucial than ever, aerospace suppliers must identify trends in the industry in order to be prepared to meet the coming challenges.

It’s no secret that the pressure to reduce input costs has led prime aerospace manufacturers to reexamine each element in the supply chain for both military and civilian aircraft. Aerospace gear manufacturers are no exception to the scrutiny. What seemed to be an elite element of aircraft in the last century is no more than […]

Why retire a perfectly good machine tool that may still provide years of useful service life? The following is a step-by-step outline of “How to make cents out of it.”

Rebuilding a machine tool requires expertise in mechanical, hydraulic, lubrication, pneumatic, electrical, control, and coolant systems, as well as knowledge of the process the machine performs. The rebuilding process will require each of these systems to be disassembled, cleaned, inspected, and repaired or replaced as required. A complete rebuild process takes place in a series […]

Not only do PVD coatings extend the life of your gear-cutting tools, they can also impart beneficial properties to the actual gears being produced.

Low-temperature Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) coatings show proven functionality, both in increasing the performance of cutting tools used to machine gears as well as in imparting beneficial layers on the gear itself. In both applications, the coatings improve tribological response of the cutting tool or gear, although the wear environments are quite different. The continuing […]

On custom jobs, consider Direct Gear Design — an application-driven gear development process with primary emphasis on performance maximization and cost efficiency.

Modern gear design based on the gear rack generating process was introduced in the 19th century and remains the only way to design gears today. It considers the gear rack profile as the cutting edge of the tool. In order to define the gear geometry, the designer must select the generating rack parameters such as […]