Streamlining Drivetrain Design

A new engineering tool accelerates early-stage gearbox modeling and optimization

Figure 1—Working with sketcher, user interface and 3D geometry on separate screens.

KISSsoft System Module allows intuitive concept design on a system level. In addition to the elementary components, complete gearboxes can now be designed in a separate module. The focus lies on fast concept building and fast calculations of complex kinematics. This is of benefit particularly in the initial phase of a project, when an engineer needs to be able to roughly model different variants of possible solutions to compare critical criteria.

The KISSsoft System Module is a versatile tool used in various scenarios, including:

• Designing new products based on key requirements.
• Modifying legacy systems for new conditions.
• Re-engineering reference designs.
• Analyzing existing designs documented through drawings.
• Managing and comparing design variants with the same topology.
• Creating databases of gearbox series with different ratios for different torque ranges.
• Visualizing, explaining, and promoting concepts, proposals, and preliminary designs.
• Elaborating on concepts for costs, mass, and size to enable quotations.
• Connecting, managing, and safeguarding KISSsoft files used for modeling individual components.

Working Modes

With KISSsoft, the user can choose between the three working modes: Component Level Only, System Level and Collaborative Approach.

The Component Level Only mode involves using KISSsoft modules other than the System Module. It’s a detailed, low-cost, and time-saving approach suitable for less complex systems where calculations for individual components are done independently from each other. This mode is ideal for projects requiring maximum speed, efficiency, and simplicity.

The System Level mode integrates components into a holistic system, combining power flow analysis, spatial and collision-free arrangement, and top-level requirements-driven conceptual design. It is highly efficient for experienced designers with a deep understanding of all aspects of gearbox or transmission design. It is the mode of choice for most licensees globally.

Finally, there is the Collaborative Approach mode, which supports a team-based design process. Domain experts work on individual components using independent KISSsoft instances, performing detailed sizing, optimization, and analysis. Iterative design improvements are uploaded into the system model, gradually enhancing its fidelity.

Switching between these modes is seamless, with data exchange enabled through KISSsoft files as well as bespoke and neutral formats (e.g., Gleason GAMA, GEMS, GDE, REXS).

Target Users

Target users are, on the one hand, gear and bearing experts, and on the other hand, system architects. The module is suitable for gear and bearing experts because it provides an environment for managing all single components within their expertise. Components are sized, optimized, and rated in familiar KISSsoft modules, and once optimized, they can be integrated back into the system model with a single click. System architects, however, focus on ratios, design space, power flow, system reliability, operating conditions, and comparing design variants. They need a clear, communicable design description for stakeholders and are concerned with team-wide access to consistent product data, managing design iterations, and ensuring design survivability under different load regimes.

The software’s user interface is tailored to the needs of both experts and system architects, allowing each to view the work in their preferred way without imposing an unfamiliar perspective.

Learning Curve and Required Skills

Familiarity with KISSsoft modules significantly reduces the learning curve. The user interface and sketcher are intuitive, leveraging common mouse and keyboard operations. New users can grasp the basics within a day and model complex systems within a week. Users need to master transmission design complexities, including load cases such as spatial and performance conditions. Experience with tree structures, context menus, tables, tabs, multiple windows, and standard engineering terminology is essential. The highly specific terminology used in KISSsoft is typically based on ISO, DIN, and AGMA standards. Familiarity with these standards is essential to correctly understand the intention, purpose and limitations of menu options, fields and buttons. To choose settings sensibly, assume derating factors properly, select calculation methods appropriately and use reasonable ranges for e.g., lubrication temperature, tolerance values or required lifetime, the user must have a thorough understanding of e.g., gear theory and methodology implemented in KISSsoft.

In summary, the skills and knowledge needed to make the most of the System Module are engineering domain-specific, not software-specific.

Return on Investment

The System Module supports parameter-based modeling that simplifies the management of complex gearbox and bearing design data. By reducing the need for manual data transfer between components, it helps minimize input errors and supports consistency across design iterations.

In practice, engineers have reported shorter project timelines and greater confidence in early-stage concept validation. Even in basic applications, the system-level approach allows for faster variant comparison and refinement, particularly once users are familiar with the interface and workflows.

As proficiency with the module increases, many engineers adopt it as their preferred environment for both preliminary layouts and detailed system integration tasks.