While I was attending the 10th International VDI Conference on Gears 2023—held in Garching, Munich at the Gear Research Center (FZG) of the Technical University of Munich from September 13th to 15th, 2023—Delrin, a product family of DuPont, introduced a new high molecular weight nucleated resin specially formulated for use in applications requiring high creep resistance and fatigue durability. I had the good fortune to sit down and speak with Guillaume Doy, Global Marketing Leader from Delrin, to hear more about their acetal homopolymer for high-load mechanical applications.

On August 23, 2023, India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission made a successful landing on the southern part of the moon near the crater Manzinus. We were able to catch up with Mushtaq Jamal, vice president of engineering and business development at Bevel Gears India Pvt Ltd (BGI), to discuss BGI's role in this monumental achievement for India. 

Heat Treat 2023 is the Heat Treating Society’s 32nd conference and expo for heat treating professionals featuring three days of face-to-face networking opportunities with approximately 200 heat treat exhibitors/companies. All the top heat-treating companies will offer the latest research and industry insights during more than 100 technical programs. This year’s show includes a VIP-guided industry tour, as well as student/emerging professionals initiatives, including free college student registration, Fluxtrol Student Research Competition, and the ASM Heat Treating Society Strong Bar Student Competition. Heat Treat 2023 is colocated with Motion + Power Technology Expo 2023 with access to additional exhibitors. The event takes place October 17–19, 2023 at Huntington Place in Detroit.

The Forging Industry Association’s (FIA) Forge Fair, North America’s largest event dedicated exclusively to the forging industry, returned to the Huntington Convention Center in Cleveland, Ohio, May 23–25, 2023. More than 2,000 forging professionals from across the globe attended Forge Fair to learn about new products, make purchasing decisions, and network with each other. This specialized-industry event offered suppliers and forgers a platform to connect with more qualified potential customers. From material selection to the shipment of finished parts, Forge Fair showcased innovations in heating, tooling, equipment, testing, automation, conservation of resources, process and plant improvements, and technology for all types of forging operations.

Gear Technology readers know diesel—because of the fuel’s properties, such as viscosity, lubricity, and combustion characteristics—can influence the design considerations for gears within the diesel engine. What our readers might not know is on September 30, 1913, The New York Times led with a headline that Rudolf Diesel—multimillionaire inventor of the diesel engine and international superstar in the scientific community—had disappeared from the passenger steamship, Dresden, crossing from Belgium to England and was presumed dead.

Next year, farmers in Colorado will be able to fix their own tractors, and manufacturers will have to provide them with resources to help them do it. In late April, Colorado became the first state to ensure farmers can work on their own equipment with Governor Jared Polis signing “The Consumer Right to Repair Agriculture Equipment Act,” which forces manufacturers to make available the necessary manuals, tools, parts, and software to farmers who rely on complex and expensive machinery, such as tractors, combines, and other farm equipment.

AGMA members descended on Fort Worth, Texas, from all corners of the country (and industry!) for three days of the 2023 Strategic Networking and Leadership Forum sponsored by Gleason Corporation, WD Bearings, Blaser Swisslube, and Specialty Steel Treating. Professionals from gear shops and OEMs alike gathered to share their experience and insight about where we are as an industry and where we're going. 

In this interview, we learn about Gleason Plastic Gears (GPG), a division of Gleason Corporation that specializes in designing and manufacturing plastic gears using their proprietary no-weldline technology. GPG has diversified its customer base and serves various industries such as automotive, medical, electronics, home and leisure, marine, education, and hobby. The interview covers topics such as the advantages of the no-weldline technology, surprising applications where plastic gears are replacing metal gears, promising materials and methods for the future of plastic gears, challenges faced by plastic gear designers, and recent developments in services, software, and manufacturing technology. 

Player Piano serves as a cautionary tale and remains relevant in the age of automation as it addresses the issues of technological progress and the impact of replacing human labor and the resulting loss of purpose and meaning in life. It highlights the consequences of relying too heavily on machines and the need to find a balance between progress and preserving the human spirit. The novel remains relevant as discussions around the future of work, job loss due to automation, and the ethics of artificial intelligence continue to be important topics in today’s society.

The American Gear Manufacturers Association (AGMA) recently applied for and received reaccreditation from the International Accreditors for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) organization for its educational courses. An IACET accreditation allows gear industry professionals to earn Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for attending AGMA courses. To celebrate, Gear Technology caught up with Stephanie Smialek, Education Manager, AGMA, to discuss the full breadth of AGMA’s professional development programs.