Pitch perfect: Standard over custom eases costs
What is perfect pitch? In music, it is the ability to identify notes without any point of reference. It can be best described as...
Unintended gear failures
At some point in your life, you had the opportunity to meet a set of twins. Maybe they were fraternal twins, or maybe they...
Maximum allowable torque
When participating in a competitive sport, there is a strong desire to maximize the physical output of your body. Whether it is running faster...
When the coronavirus pandemic is over
When we were making our business plans in 2019, the thought of a pandemic was never a consideration. Business leaders and CEOs were looking...
I have a question about your gears!
The concept of using a wheel to redirect motion has been part of the human experience for thousands of years. The simple design of...
Mounting accuracy key issue in gear system design
Some assembly required. These dreaded words are frequently found on the packaging of many weekend projects. Whether it is assembling a desk for that...
The importance of contact ratios
It is expected that when we flip the switch on a device that it will power up and some motion will occur. In the...
Addendum modification and undercut
When you walk onto the sales floor in any furniture store, you are greeted by a smiling, courteous, friendly sales associate. Their job is...
Does all learning happen in a classroom?
Learning takes many forms. Some methods are formal in their approach, such as elementary school and high school. Others, like mentoring, take a more...
How does shaft alignment and speed ratio affect my design?
The motto for the Olympics is “Citius, Altius, Fortius,” which translates to “Faster, Higher, Stronger.” The phrase is also the mantra for most modern...
Heat treating carbon and alloy steels
When considering a material for a gear design, the most significant decision is the ease of machinability vs. the durability of the material. Most...
Are your gears compliant?
The concept of clean living has been around for a long time, but it wasn’t until recently that it became the movement that it...
What, precisely, is my gear made of?
The building blocks for all materials are microstructures known as atoms. Whether the material in question is a plastic, a metal, or even your...
Precision gearing: Accuracy and tolerances
When I was a child, one of the great joys of going on the family vacation was to pull out a paper map and...
Determining tooth thickness of various gear types – Part III
In order to determine the tooth size of a gear after taking into account the backlash allowance, you first must determine what the nominal...
Determining tooth thickness of various gear types – Part II
In order to determine the tooth size of a gear after taking into account the backlash allowance, you first must determine what the nominal...
Determining tooth thickness of various gear types
In order to determine the tooth size of a gear after taking into account the backlash allowance, you first must determine what the nominal...
What is a standard anyway?
There is an old adage that goes: “Everything old is new again.” This is commonly used when a fad — like bell-bottom blue jeans...
Understanding dimensional stability in gearing
In the retail community, the term shrinkage is defined as the difference between the value of the physical on-hand inventory minus the expected on-hand...
Crossed helical gearing a.k.a. screw gears
A common refrain from my childhood was “if you keep crossing your eyes, they are going to get stuck like that!” It never did...
