This year marks the 50th Anniversary of Mazak North American manufacturing operations in Florence, Kentucky. Through its industry leadership in manufacturing innovation and technology, engineering and customer support, the company has securely positioned itself as a champion of the North American manufacturing industry. 

The founding of the Japanese operation in May 1954 laid the groundwork for offering customers and partners consultations and services in-country and in the local language. Since then, not only has the market continually evolved, so too has the company.

The American Gear Manufacturers Association (AGMA) was presented with the Trade Show Executive’s Fastest 50 Grand Award in the “Fastest-Growing Show by Percentage Growth in Total Attendance in 2023” category on May 9 at the Fastest 50 Awards & Summit in Las Vegas.

A gear is nothing without its counterparts. Gears work in conjunction with other components within a gear system to achieve specific mechanical functions. These counterparts work together synergistically to form functional gear assemblies capable of transmitting motion and torque, converting speed and torque ratios, and performing a wide range of mechanical tasks in various applications across industries.

Gear Technology began with the May/June 1984 issue. Forty years later, we’re still going strong! Please join us in looking back at some of our milestones and celebrating what makes this publication truly unique in the marketplace.

The inaugural issue of Gear Technology marked a significant change in the industry. I was 13 years into my career, working at my third company and in my fifth year on AGMA’s Helical Gear Rating Committee. Back then, few engineers moved around; you started at a gear company, were indoctrinated in their way of doing things, and hoped to advance by making very incremental changes to the “old family recipe.”

My family company, Cadillac Machinery, was a used machinery dealer specializing gear machinery, especially bevel gear equipment, so we knew first-hand how unique and sometimes insular the gear industry was. As a member of AGMA, I often attended AGMA events, including the Fall Technical Meeting, where tremendous knowledge was presented, year after year, about the latest research, technology and manufacturing approaches for gears.

I joined the staff of Gear Technology 30 years ago, as a lowly editorial assistant. I had just moved back to the Chicago area after a brief stint working for a family business in Louisiana. The nice people at Randall Publications offered me an opportunity to put to good use my journalism degree as well as my enthusiasm for math and science.

Forest City Gear announced Turning Lead Josh P. Gates has joined Rock Valley College as an adjunct professor. Gates teaches two courses under the Manufacturing Engineering Technology program: MET 111 CNC Machine Setup/Operation/Programming and MET 226 CNC/CAM Operations I. Both courses are required to complete the Rock River Valley Tooling & Machining Association (RRVTMA) CNC Precision Machinist Journeyman Apprenticeship.

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).