Dontyne Systems Ltd.
Dontyne’s Gear Production Suite is a package of software products to design, machine and inspect gears during production. Each module has been developed with three levels of operation including basic, standard and advanced. The functionality of one or more of the tools can be embedded in existing metrology or machine tool equipment to form part of an expert system. Highlights for the software package include Gear Design Pro to define gear pair geometry and the calculation of their rating according to ISO standards and GATES software, a program for the calculation of stress and transmission error conditions in loaded gear systems. Dontyne’s website notes that a concept design tool for calculation speeds and torques in a planetary system is currently being developed. The company recently confirmed an exclusive deal with partner Gaudlitz GmbH in the plastics field until 2010 for the implementation of a module for the optimization of tool forms.

KISSsoft AG
There are currently two major new developments in the works at KISSsoft AG. The first is a completely new interface (GUI) for KISSsoft, replacing a 10-year-old concept. The second is that shaft calculation is now based on a Finite-element core, which gives the company the ability to model the loads applied to the shaft more realistically. Furthermore, the company has some new developments with KISSsys, a set of models for typi cal wind turbine gearbox kinematics and a gearbox model that implements a thermal analysis of the gearbox. GEARCALC, a software package for sizing and rating cylindrical gears includes three parts for engineers including GEARCALC, RATE2001 and LUBE925. The software package was recently launched in the United States.

Romax Technology
Romax is constantly working to increase both its breadth and depth of coverage for gear applications. Underlying many new developments are two key ideals the company is striving for: 1) Analysis should not be done using idealized (nominal) parameters. For simulation to accurately reflect the real world, it must embrace the fact that the real world is full of imperfections, and the variations of manufacturing, assembly alignment and loading should be considered in the design stage. 2) The different analysis disciplines should not be spread amongst different tools. You should not have to duplicate the building of analysis models to look at different phenomena such as fatigue life, modal response, transient dynamic events, efficiency, etc. The company provides an integrated approach to gearbox design, analysis and virtual testing with a software suite that includes RomaxDesigner, RomaxDurability, Romax Dy-namics, RomaxNVH and special industry packages including RomaxWind and RomaxBearing.