If you are like most navigators of the printed page, the first thing you read in this final 2013 issue of Gear Technology was our State of the Gear
Industry Survey. And who would blame you? It’s not Sabermetrics, but once you’ve read it you’ll have a pretty
clear snapshot of last year and a peek
into the next. But if you also like to get a little closer to the bone about things, what follows are the collected opinions of five well-regarded people in the gear industry speaking to a number of issues with relevance.
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 manufacturing companies
around the world.
When is a gear not a gear? Pardon my Zen, but that is a bit like asking, "What is the sound of one hand clapping?" Or there’s the old bromide, "If it walks like a duck, talks like a duck," etc.
Just work with me here…
The 2013 Gear Technology Buyers Guide was compiled to provide you with a handy resource containing the contact information for significant suppliers of machinery, tooling, supplies and services used in gear manufacturing.
Light-weight construction and consideration of available resources result in gearbox designs with high load capacity and power density. At the same time, expectations for gear reliability are high. Additionally, there is a diversity of planetary gears for different applications.
Historically, wind turbine gearbox failures have plagued the industry. Yet an effective oil analysis program will
increase the reliability and availability of your machinery, while minimizing maintenance costs associated with oil change-outs, labor, repairs and downtime. Practical action steps are presented here to improve reliability.