I’ve always been a planner, and a new calendar feels like a blank slate of possibilities. 2025 promises an exciting year for AGMA Emerging Technology, with a packed schedule of programs. We began the year with a webinar featuring Noel Mack, CTO of LIFT: The National Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Institute. If you missed it, it is available on-demand on the AGMA website. Alongside committee meetings, we’ll host eleven webinars (first Wednesdays) and live presentations at key AGMA events, including the Annual Meeting, SNL, and the Motion + Power Technology Expo.
Eaton's Mobility Group is now offering aftermarket Endurant automated manual transmission (AMT) parts and remanufactured units. This new offering expands the existing AMT portfolio of products for Daimler DT12 and Volvo I-Shift transmissions and provides a one-stop shop for all makes of manual and AMT transmissions operating in North America.
The medium-sized mechanical engineering companies Gehring, NAGEL and WAFIOS as well as Lambda Resins GmbH will be presenting their latest developments in the field of e-mobility at the Reutlingen E-Mobility Days 2024 (RED). The renowned specialist forum, initiated by WAFIOS and held this year for the first time on the new e-mobility campus, will take place from October 15–17, 2024 and is regarded as the central platform for innovations in e-mobility.
Attracting a diverse range of professionals, including executives, engineers, designers, and entrepreneurs, CES (Las Vegas) is an excellent opportunity to connect, collaborate, and grow your professional network. Keynote addresses and panel discussions from industry experts offer valuable insights into market trends, consumer behavior, and emerging technologies that can help guide strategic decisions and future planning. Attendees can interact with new technologies firsthand, gaining a deeper understanding of their features and potential applications. The broad range of exhibits and industries represented at the show can inspire innovative solutions. Industries include 3D printing, AR/VR/XR, AI, cloud computing/data, construction tech, cybersecurity, e-Mobility and more.
From drive and fluid technology to digital platforms and IT security to industrial internet and robotics, Hannover Messe reflects the manufacturing industry’s broad scope and provides important economic and social impulses every year. Additional 2025 topics include 5G technology, additive manufacturing, automation, sensors, e-mobility, material handling and more.
CTI Symposium Berlin offers keynote speeches, panel discussions and technical presentations on future powertrain technologies. This includes the exchange of experiences, R&D results and opinions with leading representatives of automobile manufacturers, suppliers, engineering consultants as well as officials. Topics include passenger cars, commercial vehicles, electric motors, transmission components, AI in powertrain development, thermal management, supply chain, powder metallurgy and more.
As the automotive industry continues to move towards e-mobility, the manufacturing world is adapting to the respective requirements. Large gear ratios are necessary to reduce the high input speeds of electric motors to the required speed of the drive wheels. At the same time, masking noise of combustion engines is now missing, posing challenges to the noise level of transmissions. Principally, two main transmission concepts have become established for e-drive applications: two-stage layshaft transmissions with four gears, and planetary transmissions.
Overall developments and widespread public awareness of man-made climate change are transforming the way people think. The awareness has inspired a shift towards a more ecologically sustainable way of life. Driven by policymaking and technological innovation, ambitious efforts are underway to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to curb the rise in average temperatures. A key focus of these efforts is the mobility sector.
Congratulations Gear Technology on your 40th Anniversary! This magazine has been publishing emerging technology in gearing before we used the term, “emerging.” I constantly search past issues to get information on topics we are discussing in committees. From skiving to electric drive development, and lubrication to the beginnings of strain wave gear technology, I have found great information for the work that we are doing today. Thank you!
The 10th WZL Gear Conference - USA is being hosted by Gleason Corporation in Rochester NY and will provide the opportunity for North American companies to connect with WZL and learn about current research activities. For more than 50 years the annual WZL Gear Conference in Aachen, Germany, has been fostering technical collaboration and communication among the members of the WZL Gear Research Circle. The two-day conference is devoted exclusively to the presentation of the latest research in gear design, manufacturing and testing.
Cleanpower 2024 (Minneapolis, MN.) grows businesses by gathering key decision makers and stakeholders across the wind, solar, storage, hydrogen, and transmission industries for discussion, deal making, networking and a whole lot of fun. The trade show not only brings together the different technologies that make up the renewables mix; onshore wind, offshore wind, solar, storage, and transmission but also the different segments within the industries; manufacturers, construction firms, owner operators, utilities, financial firms, corporate buyers and more. Cleanpower will feature the latest products, services and technologies coming to the renewable energy industry.
CO2 reduction is critical for automotive drivetrain. Here the battery electric drive using renewable energy is the focus. What can we do to increase efficiency and reliability, reduce cost and at the same time reduce the upstream CO2? At CTI Symposium USA 2024 the automotive industry discusses the challenges it faces and promising strategies. Latest solutions in the fields of electric drives, power electronics, battery systems, e-machines as well as the manufacturing of these components and supply chain improvements are presented. For the bigger picture market and consumer research results as well as infrastructure related topics supplement the exchange of expertise.
CTI Symposia drive the progress in individual and commercial automotive transportation. Manufacturer, suppliers and institutions are showing how to master the demanding challenges.
Intelligent power management company Eaton today announced that Ben Sheen, chief engineer, of Eaton’s Mobility Group, was recently elected to the Board of Trustees for the Gear Research Institute (GRI) at Penn State University. The GRI is affiliated with the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and the American Gear Manufacturers Association (AGMA) to conduct research and development, consulting, and analysis for gear-related needs.
For over 10 years, the mechanical engineering company Kapp Niles has been working intensively on the topic of gears in e-mobility and has established itself as a pioneer in this rapidly growing industry. With a focus on innovation and quality, Kapp Niles offers customized solutions for the production of gearboxes and gears in electric vehicles.
AGMA hosted an EV Town Hall last month during their Motion + Power Technology Expo (MPT Expo). This event was planned to explicitly ask the question, “Is industry ready to roll up its sleeves and start the process of sharing common outcomes that will serve as the building blocks for standards for electric vehicle technology?” Spoiler Alert: The answer was a resounding, yes. And the discussion uncovered some key issues, and perhaps a surprise or two, that will help AGMA leverage its 107 years of experience in this space to start to frame future discussions for electric vehicle standards development.
Sandvik has signed an agreement to acquire esco GmbH engineering solutions consulting, a German-based supplier of software for power skiving, an important technology within gear machining. Esco’s software solutions supports design, production and quality inspection in the main area of gear manufacturing. The company will be reported in Sandvik Coromant, a division within Sandvik Manufacturing and Machining Solutions.
In this seminar, attendees will learn about gearing, electromobility and their interrelationships. How gearing can increase the efficiency and performance of electromobility, and which components are needed for this. Also, a detailed look at the design and manufacture of gears for electric vehicles. Attendees will explore the challenges of gearing for electromobility, such as adapting to hard-to-reach places, increasing durability, and reducing energy consumption, and discuss how grinding technology and tool design must meet requirements to improve the properties and improve the quality of gears for electric vehicles. The Aachen Forum on Gear Production (AFGP) is held annually in alternation with the Aachen Conference on Gear Production (ACGP). While the Forum at the RWTH Aachen Campus is dedicated to a technical focus (2023 the interlocking in the E-Mobility sector) the conference, on the other hand, is dedicated to various facets of gear technology.
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.
For 107 years, AGMA has been the go-to place for gear standards. We have been bringing together engineers and leaders from across our industry to keep our standards updated and in line with new technologies. We started with noise issues on electric street cars in the early 1900s, and today we lead the global ISO TC 60 committee on standards including wind-turbine gear-box development. As new technologies and gear applications emerged, AGMA has gathered experts to discuss, brainstorm, share, and collaborate on the topics of the day such as plastic gears, epicyclic gears, marine gears, wind turbine gearboxes, and, of course, gear sets for internal combustion vehicles. We have also kept updated standards on gear accuracy, materials, and lubrication. This work has led to standards that reduce costs, improve quality, and make safer products for manufacturers and consumers worldwide.
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.
A significant amount of work is being done to advance the technology of gears specifically for use in electric vehicles. No longer hidden by the noise of the internal combustion engine, the transmission has taken center stage as the noisiest component in most electric-driven cars.
The International VDI Congress “Dritev” is one of the world’s largest automobile congresses. Hundreds of experts with an R&D background meet every year to exchange thoughts on current developments in the field of drivetrain and transmission. It’s the ideal place to reach out to long-known fellow experts, find new project partners and pave the way to establish new business ties.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries EMEA—Duisburg Branch today announced a new contract with global software provider Energy Exemplar to support their sales, business development, and project development teams. The branch office based in Duisburg, Germany focuses on the growth of MHI’s energy transition-related business, supporting the decarbonization of industry.
CO2 reduction is critical for automotive drivetrain. Here the battery electric drive using renewable energy is the focus. What can we do to increase efficiency and reliability, reduce cost and at the same time reduce the upstream CO2? At CTI SYMPOSIUM USA 2023 the automotive industry discusses the challenges it faces and promising strategies.
Gleason's e-Drive Days online webinar addresses the specific requirements and challenges of e-Drive transmission manufacture, with particular attention to minimizing gear noise. The event showcases the latest developments in design, simulation, cutting and hard finishing, as well as suitable inspection and analysis tools to achieve most efficient and quiet gears. Day one examines gearbox design and optimization; day two looks at the manufacturing of e-Drive gears; day three offers in-process inspection and gear noise analysis.
The 2023 STLE Tribology Frontiers Conference (TFC) will be held November 12-14. The event will allow attendees to engage with world-renowned industry, academic and government researchers to learn more about the technical, environmental and social issues impacting tribology research in the 21st Century. The deadline for TFC abstract submissions is April 15, 2023, but the website will remain open after this date for wait-listed submissions and posters.
Why is the industry considering changing from well-established gear manufacturing processes to something that is much more complex at first glance? Gear manufacturing has been its own “world” in metal cutting, dominated by companies with very specific expertise around gear technology. Production output has been high, but flexibility is limited. The technicians running these machines are highly skilled, but recruiting new staff with these skill sets has become more and more difficult.
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 sixth installment online is an interview with Shane Hollingsworth, vice president of sales, Kapp Technologies.
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 fourth installment online is an interview with Scott Knoy, vice president of sales at Nidec Machine Tool America.
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 third installment online is an interview with Peter Wiedemann, managing director, Liebherr-Verzahntechnik GmbH and Scott Yoders, vice president sales, Liebherr Gear Technology, Inc.
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.
Marposs OptoCloud EDU (Electric Drive Unit) is the latest generation of 3D precision inspection solutions, designed for the Electrical Vehicle Industry and its unprecedented quality assurance processes. OptoCloud EDU is capable to reconstruct the 3D model of complex and articulated workpieces and automatically execute measurements and vision inspection tasks.
The performance of an Electric Vehicle Power Unit is directly connected with critical tolerances. Tolerances drive opportunities for performance enhancement with cost reduction. The tests normally used to determine and validate tolerances are both expensive and time consuming with prototype parts. By replacing the initial tests with Digital Twin simulations, results can be obtained quickly, and at a much lower cost. This article discusses one of these tests and the results.
Manufacturers must produce lighter and more compact EV transmissions from tough materials such as low-alloy steels—and those that rely on traditional manufacturing processes risk falling behind. Mats Wennmo, Global Automotive Transmission Manager at the metal cutting specialist Sandvik Coromant, explains why gear skiving is crucial for competitive manufacturing.
CTI Symposium Berlin starts with two introductory days dealing with the basics and practice of automotive transmissions, hybrid and electric drives for newcomers and those who want to refresh their knowledge.
Electric vehicles or EVs are increasingly popular options for people who want to save money on gas and decrease their reliance on fossil fuels.
System-supplier Klingelnberg will be back at AMB (Booth C41, Hall 5), where it will be highlighting solutions for smooth-running gearboxes. The exhibit will feature the Höfler Cylindrical Gear Grinding Machine Speed Viper, the Klingelnberg Precision Measuring Center P 40 and the newly developed Höfler Cylindrical Gear Roll Testing Machine R 300.
EMAG will highlight productive, and at the same time, flexible manufacturing solutions for electromobility at IMTS. Among other things, the focus is on the vertical pick-up lathes of the VL series, which EMAG now delivers IoT-Ready.
When it comes to an early identification of noise problems in the drivetrain one has to take data analytics and its integration in the manufacturing process into account. The big vision here, in particular, is preventive quality. By evaluating sensor data of the machining process, it promises to predict whether a gear is ok or not ok.
The ANCA Integrated Manufacturing System (AIMS) optimizes cutting tool production through streamlined manufacturing, automation, and connectivity. With ANCA and AIMS, customers can achieve continuous, unattended production that dramatically reduces non-productive machine time, with smart automation that connects sequential tool production processes and offers connectivity across the whole factory.
Kapp Niles will highlight a variety of machine tool technologies at IMTS 2022 for areas like mobility, automation, energy, and more.
Although gears have been indispensable components in various sectors such as mechanical engineering, the automotive industry and industrial gear manufacturing for many decades, increasing requirements and current market developments are constantly presenting the drive technology sectors with new challenges. In the case of modern gear drives, competition is determined not only by price but also by load capacity, operational reliability and noise behavior. In automotive engineering in particular, reliable torque transmission is required with high power density, low weight and minimal noise emissions. The current trend towards e-mobility as well as general ecological and economic challenges to improve resource efficiency lead to increased demands on the entire process chain.
In the course of the mobility transition, electric and hybrid drives will gradually replace the traditional combustion engine. The battery is a key element in electrification: More and more manufacturers are starting their own production of battery systems and are looking for suitable solutions to do so. Liebherr has looked into the processes extensively and offers system-capable, modular concepts for the automated assembly of battery packs.
At IMTS 2022 in Booth #135621, Marposs will be demonstrating OptoCloud EDU (Electric Drive Unit), its latest generation of 3D precision inspection solutions designed for the electrical vehicle industry. Using multiple laser heads in tandem with contact sensors for measurement and vision inspection, OptoCloud EDU reconstructs the 3D model of complex and articulated workpieces in less than a minute to ensure accuracy of the produced component. For example, it can validate 240 electrical contacts of a motor stator in only 30 seconds, which is 100 times faster than a traditional contact system.
The fascination of the automotive differential has led to the idea to build a second differential unit around a first center unit. Both units have the same axes around which they rotate with different speeds. The potential of double differentials as ultrahigh reduction speed reducers is significant. Only the tooth-count of the gears in the outer differential unit must be changed in order to achieve ratios between 5 and 80 without a noticeable change of the transmission size.
Klingelnberg examines gear noise behavior and the evolution of the electric powertrain.
Hexagon offers a three-part E-mobility webinar series highlighting the use of engineering simulation tools and methods to rapidly evaluate numerous ePowertrain designs. This webinar series will showcase how an EV gearbox is designed from scratch and developed to meet design requirements.
The first phase is now initiated of what will be a brand-new mobility hub of fuel cell and plug-in hybrid cars that will be available to everyone in Sandviken, Sweden. The initiative is a joint project between Sandvik Coromant and Toyota’s mobility brand KINTO. The cars will be available around the clock, at any day of the week. The cars can be easily booked with the KINTO app, which is free to download.
The automotive industry is evolving. The trend toward more electromobility is also changing the way cars are being manufactured. In some cases, this has a serious impact, not only on automakers themselves, but also on suppliers. Jürgen Hechler, Global Application Engineering Leader at 3M, is nevertheless confident: "We expect the demand for high-precision abrasives to continue to grow, despite the discussion about electromobility." Among other things, 3M supplies the automotive industry with abrasives for machining gears and shafts.
With its brand-new 300GMS nano Gear Metrology System, Gleason presents a world- first at Control Show 2022, May 03-06, Stuttgart, Germany. The capability of measuring gears at sub-micron level, executing advanced waviness analysis and evaluating gear noise using the most advanced analytical tools, make the 300GMS nano ideally suited to support automotive e-drive production with minimum noise requirements.
Fully electric vehicle drives usually require two-stage, non-switchable transmissions. One would think that this greatly simplifies the production. Finally, the described transmission structure has just four gears, distributed on the drive shaft, the second stage with fixed wheel and intermediate shaft as well as the axle drive wheel. But the conditions are not that simple: First of all, the engine speeds of the electric drive with up to 16,000 rpm are much higher than those of the combustion engine. For this purpose, electric motors deliver an almost constant torque over a wide speed range. Unlike the combustion engine, it is already attached to the transmission from zero speed. In addition, there is an additional boundary condition that makes production much more demanding than with the conventional powertrain.
The transition to EVs will lower transport emissions, and adoption can be accelerated by increasing their efficiency. EVs that take advantage of aluminum components can travel further per charge, helping to overcome range anxiety. Automotive manufacturers who select machining tools optimized for aluminum will be able to produce high-quality aluminum EV components ― helping to support the shift to greener travel.
US Grinding Days Seminar (3M and Liebherr) is a two-day program designed to provide attendees with industry insights into the latest gear grinding methods, technology, and related topics.
Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence has released a comprehensive report entitled "Recharging the Automotive Market." The body of work was produced by Hexagon and draws from the original research conducted with Wards Intelligence and Informa Tech Automotive Group (ITAG).
New drive technologies in e-mobility are changing the requirements for gears and, therefore, the quality of the tooth-flank surfaces. Manufacturers of gears have to adapt their manufacturing process accordingly. It’s good to be able to rely on a technology partner with expertise covering the entire range of production processes and technologies, which enables them to find suitable solutions even for special challenges.
Virtual prototyping (VP) is an area where huge advances have been made. As gear and transmission systems, and the methods of their production, become more complex and more interdependent, finding ways to use VP across the entire development process—from the initial design, through analysis, right up to manufacturing—ultimately means gaining a better understanding of system performance and efficiency.
C & B Machinery has announced a new partnership as the exclusive North American agent for PTG – Holroyd.
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