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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.”

Perceive, Understand & Perform

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

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

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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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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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Analytical Calculation of the Gear Body Stiffness of Face Gears

This paper presents a new analytical method using plate and disk mechanical models to calculate the gear body stiffness of face gear wheels, showing that stiffness decreases toward the outer radius—a behavior that conventional cylindrical gear approaches fail to capture.

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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

E-Mobility is changing the gear market at an incredibly rapid pace. Software is adapting to meet these new challenges.

Grinding

Cylindrical grinding is an essential machining process in precision manufacturing, ensuring that components meet stringent tolerances with superior surface finishes. Optimizing this process involves a strategic approach to wheel selection, process automation, in-process measurement and machine maintenance. This article explores key technical factors that influence the efficiency and accuracy of cylindrical grinding operations.

Inspection

Zahnradfertigung OTT GmbH & Co. KG was the first company to install the new fully automatic CNC-controlled P 152 precision measuring center from Klingelnberg in its ultra-modern machine park.

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

Keeping Things Moving with Horsburgh & Scott

The Horsburgh & Scott engineering team has over 135 years of experience designing, manufacturing and maintaining gearboxes in heavy-duty applications around the world. They have proven design standards for gearboxes up to 5,000 hp and 4 million ft-lbs. with speeds from 0.5 to 3,600 rpm. If they don’t have a standard gearbox to meet customer's needs, they can design a custom gearbox for a specific application.

Industry News

Ceratizit USA announces the addition of Eric Rose as technical sales engineer for the U.S. Aerospace Assembly Tooling division. Rose will support Ceratizit’s sales teams and end users with specialized tooling applications used in the manufacture and assembly of aircraft, helicopters, rockets and satellite components.

Product News

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.

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


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