Between this year’s IMTS and the MPMA’s Fall Technical Meeting (FTM), I heard a lot of confidence about where manufacturing is headed, and the most sensible response to much of it is still “we’ll see.” Plenty of what was on display at IMTS works, but what hasn’t been shown yet is how well it holds up over years of service.
This paper examines the optimization of a gear set in which an idler gear is driven by two input gears; the gear set will be optimized for NVH and durability across both meshes using Advanced-LTCA, a hybrid Hertzian and FE-based loaded tooth contact analysis.
The automotive industry and its suppliers are undergoing profound structural change. Electrification, volatile markets and geopolitical instability, along with increasingly intense global competition, are creating high costs and innovation pressures across the entire value chain. These developments not only affect the general drivetrain components but also rotor shafts for electric motors, which combine high functional density with demanding manufacturing and quality requirements. Recent restructuring efforts, plant closures and bankruptcies have highlighted the need to critically reassess existing manufacturing concepts, especially for components such as rotor shafts with integrated functional elements. For automotive suppliers, technological capability and cost efficiency are no longer the only priorities; process robustness and investment security are increasingly moving into focus. New manufacturing solutions must not only be technically convincing, but also enable a substantial reduction in manufacturing costs, energy consumption, the associated CO2 emissions and process complexity (Refs. 1,2).
With the development of AI and powerful computer algorithms, is the future of humanoid robotics now? The reality is that safety at speed, reliability and cost for electromechanical actuation still represent a significant challenge that limits the near-future commercial deployment of humanoids. In 1973, Ichiro Kato et al. at Waseda University developed WABOT-1. WABOT-1 could recognize and manipulate objects, speak and walk. In 1996, Honda developed the more advanced P2 Asimo humanoid robot. Honda’s humanoid launched the development of the first harmonic drives to minimize backlash and turn small electric motors into high-torque actuators for a stable walking biped. Honda’s robot had six-axis force/torque sensors and encoders that constitute today’s humanoid hardware.
“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.”
As I write this, it is before the 2026 Fall Technical Meeting being held October 5–7, 2026, in Rosemont, IL. But as you read this, the event has already happened, so I must look deeply into my crystal ball to read the reflections and predict how great the event was. If I can see the images clearly, we all had a great time hearing from all of our presenters, relishing the many networking opportunities, figuring out “whodunnit” in our murder mystery dinner, and enjoying our new second track presentations. For now, I want to highlight a very important part of our program: the awards presentations.
Last year, the MPMA Robotics Committee debuted “The Near Future of Mechanical Drive for Humanoid Robots,” a white paper that cut through the 2024 headlines to ask a narrower, harder question: even if the investment and AI breakthroughs are real, can the mechanical drive side of humanoids (the motors, gearboxes, and actuators) actually get safe, reliable, and cheap enough to support commercial deployment at scale? The paper’s answer was candidly cautious.
My grandfather’s favorite pastime in the 1980s was to toss my brother and I into his pickup truck and tell our grandmother we were running errands. The Silverado would disappear into a labyrinth of dirt roads cruising past rundown golf courses, odd sculpture parks and miles of empty forests. The old man would smoke a carton of cigarettes along the way.
Acute labor shortages, rising costs and global competition continue to push manufacturers to find ways to increase production and improve quality. Productive Robotics will exhibit and demonstrate end-to-end robotic automation in two booths at IMTS 2026. Booth #339186 in the south building will feature ways to automate metal removal processes. Booth #237138 in the north building will focus on abrasive machining, sawing and finishing with a special emphasis on gear production. Unlike conventional cobots, Productive Robotics’ 7-axis OB7 collaborative robots feature zero programming in a plug-and-play configuration.
Emuge-Franken USA is highlighting a comprehensive line of its UNJC, UNJF, and MJ Taps, Thread Mills and Gages for safety critical J-Thread type threading applications in industries such as aerospace, defense, transportation and more.
James Engineering has introduced the P-Center, a pneumatic workholding system designed to provide accurate and repeatable between-center positioning for CNC machining, gear
manufacturing, grinding, finishing, inspection and automated production applications. The system uses a stationary center and a moving live center to locate a workpiece before
pneumatic clamping force is applied.
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.
Universal Robots (UR), a Teradyne Robotics company, introduced Gen 7, its seventh-generation collaborative robot platform, at IMTS 2026 in Chicago. Gen 7 has a redesigned control box, teach pendant and tool flange and runs on the company's PolyScope X operating system. It is designed to support AI-based applications such as vision guidance and force-sensitive assembly on the production floor.
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.
Sandvik Coromant has added deep-hole solid carbide drills, from 12xD to 30xD, to its CoroDrill Dura 462 family. With this range, the family now covers micro, short-hole and deep-hole drilling across a range of materials. The drills are aimed at general engineering, automotive, aerospace, oil and gas, and pump and valve work.
Solar Atmospheres of Western PA has expanded its heat treatment capabilities with the delivery of a new water quench furnace specifically designed to process large titanium components. The company is currently commissioning the new system at its Hermitage, PA, facility and is expected to be placed into production November 2026.
As Star Cutter Co. approaches its 100th anniversary, the company and Star SU are introducing a new brand identity that reflects nearly a century of American craftsmanship, enduring customer partnerships, and a shared vision for the future of global manufacturing.
The countdown is officially on, and this one comes with a milestone attached. In just one year, the gear and bearing industries return to Detroit for the Motion + Power Technology Expo (MPT Expo), and 2027 marks the show’s 40th anniversary. It started in 1985 as Gear Expo, back when exhibitors worked out of tabletop displays rather than full booths. Four decades later, it’s still the one event where gear and bearing manufacturers, suppliers, and the OEMs who depend on them show up in the same room, at the same time.
Nick Piselli recently joined the sales team at Piselli Enterprises located in Statesville, NC. He joins his father Richard and his brother Matthew to serve the gear industry with high-quality new and used gear machinery equipment.
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