If you are a true gear geek, you are probably aware of AGMA’s Fall Technical Meeting (FTM). However, we have true gear geeks attending the FTM for the first time each year, and we are thrilled to see that!

The inaugural issue of Gear Technology marked a significant change in the industry. I was 13 years into my career, working at my third company and in my fifth year on AGMA’s Helical Gear Rating Committee. Back then, few engineers moved around; you started at a gear company, were indoctrinated in their way of doing things, and hoped to advance by making very incremental changes to the “old family recipe.”

For each FTM, AGMA selects abstracts submitted by authors for development into technical papers. Subject matter may include topics relevant to the gear industry, such as design and analysis; manufacturing and quality; materials, metallurgy, and heat treatment; operation, maintenance, and efficiency; and gear failure. The papers then go through a double-blind peer review process to ensure the efficacy of the research. The authors then present the results of their work at the FTM.