Getting rid of personal mementos is an arduous housekeeping ritual for some of us; every last gear has a memory. One man’s trash is another man’s gold, after all, or in some cases, one failed business is a forgotten piece of personal and mechanical genealogy. Such is the case of the Hill-Climber chainless bicycle, the remains of which were pulled from a family junk pile after nearly half a century.

Is economic relief on the way? This was the general consensus coming out of Indianapolis after Gear Expo 2009 closed its doors in September. Though the numbers were slightly down—2,539 exhibitors and attendees compared to 2,992 in 2007—it appeared to be steady as she goes at the gear industry’s biennial main event, good news considering the state of the gear industry since Gear Expo 2007 in Detroit.

In October, Gear Technology conducted an anonymous survey of gear manufacturers. Invitations were sent by e-mail to thousands of individuals around the world. More than 300 individuals responded to the online survey, answering questions about their manufacturing operations and current challenges facing their businesses.

Depo provides all-in-one machining capabilities for the gear industry.

If anyone should ever need convincing that the state of American manufacturing is in ongoing decline, consider this: the state of Michigan has the highest concentration of engineers in the country, yet also has the highest unemployment rate. But there are ripples of hope out there as grassroots and otherwise organized groups are fighting the good fight in an attempt to reverse that trend.

Bob McCulley of Comprehensive Heat Treat Specialists describes how even the most energy intensive industrial processes can be made "green."

Beveloid gears are used to accommodate a small shaft angle. The manufacturing technology used for beveloid gearing is a special setup of cylindrical gear cutting and grinding machines. A new development, the so-called Hypoloid gearing, addresses the desire of gear manufacturers for more freedoms. Hypoloid gear sets can realize shaft angles between zero and 20° and at the same time, allow a second shaft angle (or an offset) in space that provides the freedom to connect two points in space.

"One of the reasons AGMA has been successful over our 93-year history is that the association’s agenda, programs and activities reflect the voices of our members," says Joe T. Franklin, Jr., AGMA President.

Details about the Solutions Center, SME and AGMA special events at the show.

Gear Expo floor map and alphabetical listing of exhibitors.