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Strain Wave Gear Production in the Age of Humanoid Robots

Humanoid robots need precise strain wave gears in their joints, and building and inspecting those gears at scale will call for equally advanced production technology

“The time has come for robots,” Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang proclaimed at his company’s annual GPU Technology Conference in March 2026. “Everyone, pay attention. This could very well be the largest industry of all.”

The Near Future of Mechanical Drive for Humanoid Robots

AI has moved humanoid robots forward, but safety, reliability and cost in the actuator drivetrain still stand in the way of commercial deployment

Perceive, Understand & Perform

AICA and Schaeffler demonstrate the role Physical AI can play in the manufacturing environment

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Technical Articles

Couplings and Clutches

A technical overview of the three principal face couplings (Hirth, Coniflex, and Curvic), comparing their tooth geometries, self-centering behavior, and Gleason’s cutting and grinding processes for manufacturing them.

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Root Interference

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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Design Principles of Bevel Gears: Rationale for Zero Sum Profile Shifts and Generating Gear Choices

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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Smart Alloying Eliminates Manufacturing Steps in Automotive Gears

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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Design

Grinding

This article describes a cloud-based process and machine component monitoring system called ARGUS. The term “swarm” is used for a large population of gear-grinding machines of individual and independent customers connected to the ARGUS system and the ARGUS cloud. These “swarm” machines permanently feed their anonymized process data into a common cloud database. Reishauer uses this database for big data analytics to discover patterns that indicate successful process and machine component behavior patterns worth integrating into the ARGUS algorithms and propagate them across the complete ARGUS customer base.

Inspection

For precision measuring, skilled machinists, toolmakers, and inspectors must have accurate tools and gages, produced from quality materials, carefully manufactured, and rigidly inspected, to ensure lasting dependability. Gages have evolved throughout the years beginning with mechanical, then electronic models, and now convenient wireless electronic versions have come on the scene. Each type has an important place in today’s quality control and inspection processes.

Heat Treating

Since I have had the privilege of visiting numerous gear plants and research centers in the U.S., as well as 170 in 33 countries, and I closely watch the progression of technology, I wanted to share my observations about some technological advancements. For the purpose of this article, I will focus on three key areas: Robotics, Machine Tools, and Heat Treating.

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Videos

Mazak Redefines Labor Shortages with Automation Solutions

From adding automation functions to fully automating the whole production line, Mazak can suggest the best solution to solve your labor shortages with technology tailored to each customer's production needs. 

 

 

Industry News

New orders of metalworking machinery, measured by the U.S. Manufacturing Technology Orders Report published by AMT (The Association for Manufacturing Technology), totaled $732.9 million in August 2026. 

Product News

At IMTS 2026 in Chicago, Siemens introduced Meet at the Machine, an initiative in which Siemens and machine tool builders jointly develop machining solutions. Each solution combines Siemens engineering software and automation hardware with the builder's machine. TRAK Machine Tools is the first partner.

Calendar

CES 2027

Jan 6, 2027 - Jan 9, 2027

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. 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, robotics, e-Mobility, AI, vehicle tech and more.

PowerGen 2027

Jan 18, 2027 - Jan 21, 2027

SPS Smart Production Solutions 2026

Nov 24, 2026 - Nov 26, 2026

CTI Symposium Berlin 2026

Dec 8, 2026 - Dec 9, 2026

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Buyer's Guide

Cutting Tools Gear Blanks & Raw Material Gear Drives Gear Machines Gear Manufacturing Services Gears Grinding Wheels & Abrasive Tools Heat Treating Inspection Equipment Lubricants Machine Tools Resources Services Software Used Machinery Workholding & Toolholding

The Gear Industry Buyers Guide is your complete directory of suppliers in the gear industry, including great companies like these.


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