Q&A with Heather Curtis and Craig Foucht
Tormach is expanding a partnership within the National Coalition of Certification Centers (NC3) to help schools structure coursework so students can have the right...
Part orientation during quenching
In this column, I will discuss the effect of gear orientation as it enters the quench. This is a critical part of controlling the...
Ohhh, gears. For cars?
I was recently at a conference outside of the engineering world and was repeatedly asked, “So, what do you do?” I offered that I...
Controlling gear distortion by press quenching
Quench presses are widely used in the heat treatment of carburized and through‑hardened steel gears to control distortion. In this article, I will review...
Independent profile shifts and Occam’s Razor
One issue that periodically arises in gear discussions is independent profile shift in bevel gears. Standard practice for such gears uses zero-sum shifts, meaning...
Q&A with Greg Maisch
Why is accurate gear inspection vital to ensure gear components meet stringent design specifications and functional performance requirements?
In the world of precision manufacturing, the...
Developing residual stresses in quenched steels
Recently, I had a question via email regarding the development of residual stress in steel during quenching, and the stress-reversal that often occurs. In...
Q&A with Michael Zulauf
What is heavy mill scale, and what problems can it cause?
Mill scale is a thin, flaky layer of bluish iron oxides that forms on...
What is my temperature?
The harsh environmental conditions of winter make many of us think about the upcoming change of seasons. Soon, the frigid temperatures, black-iced roadways, and...
Q&A with Tom Zelickman
Tormach recently introduced the 15LX CNC Lathe. What makes this machine tool unique among its competition?
The 15LX is a very capable, compact lathe...
Flame hardening of gears
Flame hardening is a cost-effective method of providing a hard case on the teeth of gears without changing the surface chemistry. It is widely...
Are my gears in the best shape?
As we ring in the New Year, it is commonplace for people to reflect on the prior twelve months and to make resolutions about...
Q&A with Nayeli Martinez
The ANCA Tool of the Year Awards recently celebrated innovation and technical excellence in cutting tool manufacturing at an awards ceremony on the ANCA...
Basic principles of induction hardening of steels
Induction hardening of steel is similar in many respects to flame hardening, except the heat source is provided by induced eddy currents from a...
Load, speed, and design life
Considered one of the fastest land animals, the cheetah can achieve speeds of 100+ kilometers per hour (kph). It can accelerate from zero to...
Q&A with Evan Duncanson
What is gear skiving?
Gear skiving is a process for cutting slots on a gear, a challenging operation that requires high accuracy. Manufacturers need to...
Q&A with Mary Ellen Doran
The Fall Technical Meeting will be October 22-24, 2025, at the Huntington Convention Center in Detroit, Michigan. What are the session topics, and why...
The oxygen (carbon) probe used in heat treating steel
Since the 1980s, the oxygen (carbon) probe has become a mainstay in steel heat treating, providing accurate and real-time monitoring of furnace atmosphere used...
Right angle gearing
Sir Issac Newton’s First Law of fundamental motion states that an object at rest stays at rest, and an object in motion stays in...
Surface finish improvement for gear and bearing system gains
In many gearboxes, the gears and bearings share a common lubrication system. Leaving to the side greased applications, these lubrication systems typically use a...
