Even though the lyrics of the Beatles’ classic “Come Together” are largely nonsense, it’s hard to think of the chorus as anything but an anthem for cooperation and harmony. Basically, when things come together, this is the soundtrack.
2025 is a historic year for the American Gear Manufacturers Association (AGMA), the American Bearing Manufacturers Association (ABMA), and their respective members.
On April 24, at the AGMA/ABMA Annual Meeting in Austin, the membership of each association voted to approve a merger between AGMA and ABMA, creating the Motion and Power Manufacturers Alliance (MPMA).
High-performance plastic gears are increasingly replacing metal gears in several applications due to the many advantages they exhibit. The main ones are lower weight, no need for lubrication, cheaper mass production, significantly better noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) behavior and chemical/corrosion resistance. Most plastic gears are produced by injection molding, which enables great design flexibility, e.g., joining several machine elements into one molded part, while gear geometry modifications like enlarged root rounding or altered profile shapes are also possible (Ref. 1).
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.
Our annual State-of-the-Gear-Industry survey in January included the question, “What role will emerging technologies play in your organization in the coming years?” Notably, many respondents plan to implement shop floor automation and cobots into their gear shops. The game plan and timetable, however, varies on a case-by-case basis. To assist in the development of an automation program, we’ve interviewed experts from ABB, Universal Robots and KUKA Robotics to provide insightful and timely feedback on how to start this journey in gear manufacturing.
Cliff Hill saw an opportunity to do it better. With a career that began in 1979 servicing Lufkin and Falk gearboxes for marine applications, he’d had his share of frustrating parts shortages, technology issues, difficulties in getting quotes and ever-increasing pricing. There had to be a better way. So, in 2003, Cliff Hill founded Marine Industrial Gears (MIG). 11 years later, his son Clifton Hill joined the company. Today, Marine Industrial Gears is indeed doing it better, from its workshop on the Mississippi River just west of New Orleans, in Harvey, Louisiana, and a second repair facility strategically located in Paducah, Kentucky, a waterway hub where the Mississippi and Missouri rivers converge. From these two facilities MIG can cover much of the eastern United States, the Gulf of America/Mexico and, when the need arises, go anywhere in the world where a surface ship needs repair. This includes gearboxes of every make and model—Falk, Lufkin, Reintjes, Western, Twin Disc Gears and Haley—many of which have had to endure the harshest conditions that exist out on the open seas.
Powertrain electrification has been a growing trend in the automotive industry. Electric motors used in battery electric vehicles (BEVs) operate at high speeds ranging from 3,000 to 16,000 rpm, with high-performance motors reaching over 20,000 rpm. For instance, Tesla’s carbon-sleeved motor used in Tesla Model S Plaid may reach 24,000 rpm at the top speed of 330 km/h. There are experimental designs of interior permanent magnet synchronous motors (IPMSM) reaching 100,000 rpm. The combined inverter/motor efficiency of a typical BEV equipped with a single-speed reduction gearbox reaches a maximum close to the maximum motor speed. Small high-revving motors achieve higher power density and are also lighter and cheaper to manufacture. However, a single-speed gearbox cannot ensure optimum efficiency and driving comfort at different speeds and loads. Hence, quite a few multi-speed gearboxes have hit the market over recent years. Even though the use of a multi-speed gearbox tends to increase the engineering complexity and manufacturing cost of an EV, it is well justified for premium passenger cars, off-road vehicles, and commercial vehicles due to improvements in the driving range, dynamic performance, and gradability (Ref. 1).
The AGMA Technical Division Committees have been working on improvements and additions to our standardization efforts. We have three new projects to announce and are looking for technical experts from our membership to join the effort.
The AGMA 3D Printing Committee completed its fifth annual guided tour of the RAPID + TCT show floor April 8–10 in Detroit, offering members a curated look at some of the most exciting innovations in additive manufacturing. With over 400 exhibitors on display, narrowing the field to just fifteen standout companies was no small task. Nonetheless, the 2025 tour successfully highlighted a diverse mix of material suppliers, machine manufacturers, industry vendors, and breakthrough technologies shaping the future of manufacturing.
From a purely mathematical standpoint, 64 is a power of two (2⁶), making it ideally suited for systems that rely on binary logic, such as digital timekeeping, signal processing, and modern CNC controllers. But its elegance doesn’t stop there. Sixty-four divides cleanly into halves, quarters, eighths, and sixteenths, allowing for easy subdivision of time. This makes it especially practical in mechanical timekeeping systems, where 64-tooth gears often serve as indexing wheels, escapement components, or intermediate wheels in horological gear trains, providing precise and consistent intervals critical to accurate clocks, chronographs, and timing devices.
American Precision Gear (APG) has strengthened its manufacturing capabilities with the installation of the MZ 1000 D-Drive gear hobbing machine from Helios Gear Products. This investment not only improves throughput, but also elevates quality and precision machining capabilities, reinforcing APG’s reputation as an industry leader in precision gear manufacturing.
Choosing the right ultra-fine filtration system plays a key role in success in the metalworking industry. High-quality cooling lubricants and their efficient filtration are crucial for first-class product quality, cost-effectiveness and a smooth production process. The filter manufacturer Vomat from Treuen/Germany offers high-performance filter technologies for this purpose.
Schunk follows a comprehensive, collaborative technology strategy to enable flexible, future-oriented automation in any environment and at any level of digitalization—today and in the future.
KUKA Robotics unveiled the latest heavyweight addition to its line of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), the KMP 3000P, at Promat 2025 in Chicago. KUKA showcased a live cell demonstration to meet manufacturing workforce challenges for improved production. This cell showcased the capabilities of KUKA’s new KMP 3000P AMR that transported heavy rolls to a KR QUANTEC for handling and placement.
Mazak continues to expand its NEO Series of machines with the new Integrex j-200 and j-200S NEO models. The horizontal multitasking machines feature single and twin-turning spindle versions with milling spindles to significantly shorten cycle times and provide single-setup part processing. As part of the NEO Series, the machines combine advanced technology and outstanding value with high-performance productivity.
Forest City Gear has recognized several employees for their long-term dedication to the company, including Roger McMullin (10 years), Paul Cristoph (5 years), and Mark Javurek (5 years).
ANCA CNC Machines launches ANCA Academy, a new e-Learning platform for their customers, designed to elevate skills in operating ANCA CNC machines and application software. Offering a mix of free and paid courses, ANCA Academy provides a professional platform to meet the needs of the evolving precision tool manufacturing industry through expert-led technical education.
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