The automotive industry and its suppliers are undergoing profound structural change. Electrification, volatile markets and geopolitical instability, along with increasingly intense global competition, are creating high costs and innovation pressures across the entire value chain. These developments not only affect the general drivetrain components but also rotor shafts for electric motors, which combine high functional density with demanding manufacturing and quality requirements. Recent restructuring efforts, plant closures and bankruptcies have highlighted the need to critically reassess existing manufacturing concepts, especially for components such as rotor shafts with integrated functional elements. For automotive suppliers, technological capability and cost efficiency are no longer the only priorities; process robustness and investment security are increasingly moving into focus. New manufacturing solutions must not only be technically convincing, but also enable a substantial reduction in manufacturing costs, energy consumption, the associated CO2 emissions and process complexity (Refs. 1,2).
This article demonstrates why bevel gears are designed with a zero sum of profile shifts—showing that independent shifts merely replicate what a modified pressure angle already achieves—and explains the practical benefits of using conical generating gears for tooth profile crowning.
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An excerpt from Gear Technology Solutions by Dr. Hermann J. Stadtfeld exploring the mathematics behind conjugate bevel and hypoid gears—from the fundamental laws of gearing and the conditions for perfect conjugacy to why real-world power transmissions require deliberate crowning rather than theoretically exact conjugate designs.
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20NiMo9-7 alloy achieves up to 48 percent higher fatigue strength than conventional carburizing steels in the as-carburized condition, eliminating the need for shot peening and grinding in automotive gear applications.
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This excerpt from Gear Technology Solutions explains how oversized cutter blade edge radii cause root interference in bevel gears, and how to select correct radii to avoid noise, flank damage, and tooth fracture.
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As a community, we gear engineers collaborate and share ideas to progress our collective capability. Technology progresses based on our efforts, and we have seen solid advances in the performance of our products as they become quieter, cheaper, more efficient, and more power dense. The pages of this magazine (past and present editions) are filled with examples where talented engineers have dug deeper into a subject using a more precise approach to a particular area concerning gear performance. The implied belief is always that greater precision (complexity) in the calculations brings greater accuracy (alignment with reality).
This article introduces the process of polish grinding of gears. Improved surface quality increases the overall efficiency of gearboxes, resulting in reduced friction and torque loss, higher power density, and noise-optimized gears (lower NVH); all these factors are highly relevant, especially for electric drives. When Reishauer developed polish grinding in 2012, the process aimed to improve the efficiency of ICE engine transmissions, and the set goals were easy to achieve. Today, in 2023, the situation is dramatically different. While an ICE engine operates at around 3,000 rpm and supplies acoustic masking of the gear noise, EV drivetrains feature up to 20,000 rpm and offer no such masking.
The arrival of Gleason’s Hard Finishing Cell (HFC) in 2018 represented a paradigm shift in the way automotive transmission gears and gears for e-drives, could be produced in high volumes. Now, for the first time, 100 percent inspection of every gear, and every gear tooth was possible in-process, without impacting the high speeds at which these gears need to be hard finished. Identifying, and correcting for, conditions that create unacceptable noise behavior in these gears, on the fly, was finally a reality too.
Advantages of induction hardening over carburizing, as prepared for the AGMA Metallurgy Committee.
Spiroid Gearing delivers precision gearing for advanced mechanical systems, engineered to handle extreme torque and complex motion requirements. With unique right-angle gear solutions, our technology enhances efficiency, reliability, and design flexibility - empowering engineers to push boundaries in aerospace, defense, robotics, and industrial applications where performance and durability are non-negotiable.
The demand for double helical gears in planetary gear systems for engines in the civil aerospace industry is increasing. Innovative grinding processes and state-of-the-art technologies ensure precision, reduced weight, and improved cost efficiency. Learn how KAPP NILES reduced the gap width from 30 mm to 15 mm.
Discover four diagnostic enhancement tools that move RX® endothermic gas atmosphere generator operations from preventative to predictive maintenance. Learn how monitoring dew point by retort, comparing equal flow, tracking tube performance, and measuring outlet temperatures prevent costly failures while ensuring consistent, high-quality carrier gas production.
The right hob can make a measurable difference in gear production. Watch the video to see how Star SU combines advanced hob technology with application expertise to help manufacturers get more from every gear cutting operation.
The Intra SFTX twin-spindle single-flank testing system is engineered for advanced gear quality testing and NVH analysis of demanding e-drive gear applications. Combining Transmission Error (TE) and Torsional Acceleration (TA) measurements, it delivers fast, precise diagnostics and detailed order analysis, quickly identifies critical gear issues, enhances traceability, and helps prevent costly defects from reaching end-of-line (EOL) testing.
The Grob G750T boasts efficient machining for gear rings by offering precise and efficient power skiving and seamless integration of milling and turning for maximum flexibility and productivity.
Nick Piselli recently joined the sales team at Piselli Enterprises located in Statesville, NC. He joins his father Richard and his brother Matthew to serve the gear industry with high-quality new and used gear machinery equipment.
Verisurf Software demonstrated Renishaw's new PH20 PLUS 5-axis touch-trigger probe head at IMTS 2026 in Chicago, running it with Verisurf's CAD-based inspection software. The PH20 PLUS has a maximum working length of 300 mm from the center of the A-axis. That is more than 50 percent more reach than the current PH20.
Feb 9, 2027 - Feb 11, 2027
The AIoT World Expo (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) explores the potential of intelligent machines, prescriptive analytics, sensor driven analytics and block chain solutions. Attendees learn about IoT technologies that are driving the transformation in manufacturing, supply chain and operations.
Feb 23, 2027 - Feb 25, 2027
Jan 6, 2027 - Jan 9, 2027
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