Klingelnberg recently invited customers to its first Open House in Saline and the two-day event did not disappoint. Customers from major automotive, off-highway, construction and agriculture OEMs attended a morning of technical presentations before heading into the showroom to learn more about Klingelnberg’s latest machine tool technology.
The ever-volatile election cycle has ended. Gear companies—and metalworking organizations in general—must now shift their focus toward customers. Can they meet orders in a timely fashion? Is it time to strengthen the talent pool? How is their equipment stacking up against the competition? Overall, there is a feeling business will turn the corner in the 3rd and 4th quarters of 2025. Gear Technology spoke with representatives from Atlanta Gear Works (AGW), Croix Gear and Forest City Gear (FCG) on the state of gear manufacturing in 2025.
Lubricant Expo is North America’s leading exhibition and conference event dedicated to the lubricant industry. Connecting lubricant solution providers with end-user buyers and the entire chemical and equipment supply chain, the show attracts thousands of engineers and executives each year. As the sister show to Europe’s largest industry event, Lubricant Expo Europe, these two shows provide the largest dedicated exhibitions for lubrication solutions on a global scale, with a free to attend expo and conference that serves the interests of thousands of visitors representing more than 75 countries. Exhibitors cover the end-to-end chain of the industry, from finished lubricants and technologies for lubricant users, to the chemical ingredients and development devices for formulators and lab professionals.
Zahnradfertigung OTT GmbH & Co. KG was the first company to install the new fully automatic CNC-controlled P 152 precision measuring center from Klingelnberg in its ultra-modern machine park.
Liebherr’s components product segment and mtex antenna technology joined forces in 2023 to provide the antennas for the next generation Very Large Array antennas (ngVLA), which will offer a glimpse into the infinite space reach.
During a recent conference session on AI and manufacturing in Las Vegas, one presenter made a valid point about simplifying and accelerating shop floor processes. “AI has the potential to revolutionize the way companies design, develop, manufacture and operate.” This is happening in gear manufacturing shops, automotive OEMs, production plants—even mining facilities.
Engineers Assemble. If you’re a product engineer in charge of designing the latest and greatest manufacturing creations, it’s officially “Tony Stark” time. If Philip K. Dick is more your speed over the Marvel Cinematic Universe, than how about “Tom Cruise” time in Minority Report? Siemens and Sony recently introduced a solution that combines the Siemens Xcelerator portfolio with Sony’s new XR head-mounted display (HMD), SRH-S1—designed using Siemens’ own NX software—insert chicken vs. egg debate here.
Pi Day took place on March 14, 2024. Our friendly neighborhood constant is used in engineering to determine the dimensions of gears, wheels, and pipes. Pi is also used in computer science to generate random numbers for cryptography, simulation, and gaming. With a tip of the cap to math enthusiasts, we offer a quick cheat sheet to pi and its fascinating history.
At the Motion + Power Technology Expo in Detroit, I had the privilege to sit and discuss workforce development challenges with Kris Ward, senior director, strategy, and business development at SME, Kika Young, president, Forest City Gear, Mary Ellen Doran, director, emerging technology and executive director for the AGMA Foundation and Megan Schrauben, executive director, MiSTEM Network. The following is an edited transcript of this panel discussion. (Special thanks to Forest City Gear for sponsoring this live event.)
A deep dive into the world of gear dynamics and gear noise has led many a mechanical engineer to Columbus, OH in search of the methods by which gear noise is measured and predicted as well as the techniques employed in gear noise and vibration reduction. Over the past 40+ years, about 2,550 engineers and technicians from 385+ companies have attended the Gear Dynamics and Gear Noise Short Course at The Ohio State University.
I grew up playing video games in the 1980s/1990s. Today, my kids not only play video games, but could discuss coding, designing, and marketing at length on their YouTube channel. This generation is growing up with technology no other generation has ever had.
The EV to-do list grows daily. Once the engineer has settled in on solving noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) challenges, they pivot toward energy efficiency. They consider the vehicle’s weight, the tooling needed to manufacture the gears, the skiving needed to make the surface finishes as smooth as possible.
The manufacturing version of Indiana Jones is much more interested in lithium, cobalt, and nickel than arks, grails or “Dials of Destiny.” So much so that the current administration is doing its part to keep up with China in the dramatic supply chain cold war taking place across the globe. We’ve all read and reread the headlines, electrification is imminent for our carbon-neutral future—the path toward electrification, however, is quite complicated.
We came across an interesting statistic recently in our normal product coverage for Gear Technology magazine. United Grinding had more than 2,500 remote deployments during the pandemic. Digital assistance systems—big and small—helped machine operators navigate production output in real time during this chaotic work period.
Automate 2023 in Detroit featured 757+ exhibits with 30,000+ registrants. The success of the 2022 and 2023 events prompted A3 to continue the show as an annual event moving forward. Historically, the show was biennial until the pandemic changed scheduling.
Can a technophile 3D-print a giant replica from the new Transformers film? Of course—it’s 2023 and additive manufacturing is enabling engineers to test manufacturing material boundaries daily.
Range anxiety, infrastructure debates, raw material shortages and unanswered questions shake up automotive’s move toward electrification—the journey won’t be easy, but the industry will push technology until it finds a way.
If trade shows are still a major indicator of market growth, the construction and off-highway industries seem to be in a good place in 2023. CONEXPO-CONAGG and IFPE 2023 welcomed more than 139,000 attendees to Las Vegas in March. These visitors were treated to 2,400 exhibitors from 36 countries reaffirming the belief that innovation and sustainability will drive these markets in the coming years.
Quality control, EV components, energy consumption and material influences are just a handful of topics being discussed in heat treating today. New heat treat methods and global trends will be the topic of conversation later this year at Heat Treat 2023. Here’s a round-up of some stories circulating across key market segments.
Wind power has emerged as one of the most important sources of renewable energy in recent years. The global wind power capacity was estimated to be 837 gigawatts in 2021 (statista.com). In the United States alone, wind is the largest source of renewable electricity, providing 10.2 percent of the country’s electricity and still growing (cleanpower.org/facts/wind-power/). However, to ensure maximum power generation, the efficiency and reliability of the wind turbine are critical.
Where there’s war, there’s a combat engineer (sapper) waiting in the wings to construct fortifications, build strategic roads or blow up enemy fortresses. For as long as humanity has been fighting, engineers have risked their own lives carrying out vital tasks on the battlefield.
Gear Technology’s annual State-of-the-Gear-Industry survey polls gear manufacturers about the latest trends and opinions relating to the overall health of the gear industry. As in years past, the survey was conducted anonymously, with invitations sent by e-mail to gear industry companies—primarily in North America, but also including some respondents from around the world. Nearly 200 individuals responded to the survey.
State of the Gear Industry Perspectives takes an in-depth look at the challenges and opportunities in gear manufacturing today and in the future. Our second installment online is an interview with Christof Gorgels, vice president, innovation and technology at Klingelnberg.
State of the Gear Industry Perspectives takes an in-depth look at the challenges and opportunities in gear manufacturing today and in the future. Our first installment online is an interview with Udo Stolz, vice president of sales and marketing at Gleason Corporation.
The story of finding—and keeping—skilled workers in manufacturing has been told for decades. It’s always the “next-generation,” that’s going to swoop-in and create a manufacturing renaissance both here and abroad. Yet, the conversation remains largely unchanged since as far back as the 1980s.
Trade show swag. It’s everywhere on the show floor—chocolates, plastic toys, T-shirts, free popcorn. As a frequent attendee to manufacturing and engineering events, most industrial professionals would agree we don’t need additional fountain pens. If you really want to grab attention at your trade show booth, why not offer beer?
Training and employee development can seem daunting to manufacturers still playing catch-up post-COVID and trying to move product out the door. Management wants to implement new IIoT and smart manufacturing strategies to increase manufacturing productivity, but a lack of time, money and available resources can complicate these goals.
Here's a close look at some of the exhibits that will be of interest to gear manufacturers at the upcoming IMTS 2022 at McCormick Place, Chicago.
The metalworking community comes together during IMTS to celebrate and promote manufacturing technology. Pavilions include Abrasive Machining, 3D-Printing, Controls, Fabrication, Gear Generation, Machine Components, Metal Removal, Quality Assurance, and Tooling and Workholding. The show is co-located with Hannover Messe USA. The following article looks at a few of the products and technologies offered this September at McCormick Place in Chicago from September 12–17, 2022:
Different component characteristics in electric vehicles lead to higher noise and load requirements in the automotive industry. E-mobility—to a certain degree—is changing how gear analysis and inspection is carried out. Dissecting noise issues in gears and gearboxes requires an analytical approach like a detective. The problem could stem from the design itself, tolerancing or tip/root relief issues, tooth flank form deviations like waviness or perhaps crowning issues that directly impact noise. Every aspect of gear production needs to be examined to provide the most accurate results.
Kadia has been designing deburring robot cells based on 6-axis industrial robots for many years. In the meantime, a new trend is now emerging, solutions with an even higher value-added component, i.e., with general machining processes such as milling, drilling or thread cutting. The robot is thus no longer just part of a deburring machine.
Tool-X is a nanofluid that changes the characteristics of existing metalworking fluids by ‘manipulating’ speeds, feeds and metal removal rates using nanotechnology. The science behind Tool-X can potentially change metal cutting dynamics, improve surface finishes and extend tool life. The backstory of this technology is just as fascinating as its production results.
The Art of the Brick (AOTB) is a LEGO exhibition combining art, science and innovation to inspire visitors of all ages currently on display at the Museum of Science and Industry (MSI) in Chicago.
Tremec and Klingelnberg have been working together with regard to tool and gear measuring machines since 1993. They recently collaborated on transmission technology with Speed Viper machine tools.
It’s that time of year again! Pandemic fears, supply chain issues, economic growth sprinkled in with some economic uncertainty. Every year, we take an in-depth look at the State of the Gear Industry and every year provides an interesting and colorful array of challenges, surprises and new innovations. Gear Technology spoke with Prasad Kizhakel, Chief Sales Officer at the Klingelnberg Group, Udo Stolz, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Gleason Corporation, and Shane Hollingsworth, Vice President Sales at Kapp Technologies to assess what the next five years in gear manufacturing may look like from the machine tool providers
Liebherr is expanding its service portfolio and entering the digital future with extended support solutions. This enables ...
CECIMO, the European Association of the Machine Tool Industries and related Manufacturing Technologies, will present two E...
Electric drives for vehicles continue to be technically challenging in terms of range, efficiency, and sustainability, amo...
Liebherr offers a comprehensive solution for complete machining by integrating a tool changing system and a chamfering dev...
Bevel gear design is well-established. Flank geometry optimization is used worldwide to ensure satisfactory low-noise emis...