Gear Industry News July 8, 2025
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AGMA Updates
Loaded Tooth Contact Analysis
August 5—Live Online Course
This course explores using commercially available software to evaluate loaded tooth contact and develop tooth modifications that improve load distribution and reduce transmission error in gear systems. Through two real-life examples and supporting optimization techniques—including LTCA, material and heat treatment selection, profile shift, isotropic finishing, shot peening, and precision improvements—participants will learn how to enhance gear design reliability and calculated safety factors.Register Today
Design Basics of Spur and Helical Gears
August 7—Live Online Course
This course teaches participants how to define customer gear drive application requirements, calculate key gear design parameters, and optimize fatigue safety factors using real-world examples and commercial software. It also covers gear failure modes, component functions, and the full development process from prototype to production, with opportunities to address industry-specific challenges.Register Now
EV Automotive Transmission Development
August 19–21—DoubleTree by Hilton O’Hare; Rosemont, IL
This course explores the complete process of EV transaxle gearbox development—from concept and design to early-stage analysis—focusing on common architectures, power flow, and functional requirements. A key emphasis will be on how the absence of an internal combustion engine in electric vehicles changes NVH (noise, vibration, and harshness) dynamics, necessitating quieter, more precisely designed gearboxes to accommodate the unique frequency and vibration profiles of electric motors.Register Today
Taming Tooth Deflection
August 26—Live Online Course
When designing external or internal spur or helical gears that are subject to moderate to high loads an often neglected or inadequately addressed factor is the deflection of the teeth under load. Deflections are even more important where gear mesh noise is important. In this course we will discuss both tooth deflections and the optimum methodology for applying appropriate profile modifications to ensure that maximum load capacity combined with minimized gear mesh noise are simultaneously achieved.Register Now
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The Game Changers: SH Series Vertical Hobbing Machines
The SH Series from MTB offer the worldclass speed, accuracy and productivity you need for every job – at a price you can afford. Models available for parts as large as 425 mm diameter & custom packages that include ringloaders, chamfer cutting and provisions for extra-long shafts to 650 mm and hard skiving.
Start doing more, for a lot less
AGMA Partners with Italian Industrial Association, Translates On-Demand Courses
The American Gear Manufacturers Association (AGMA) entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with FEDERTEC—the Italian association representing the fluid power, automation and power transmission industries and technologies in March of 2024. The partnership was finalized to translate AGMA’s newly redeveloped, on-demand Workforce Training Series courses in Italian.
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Over 27,000 Stock Metric Gears
KHK USA offers the broadest range of stock metric gears in North America. With over 27,000 configurations of spur gears, helical gears, internal ring gears, gear racks, bevel gears, worms & wormwheels and other related gearing products, KHK’s selection contains the gear you need.
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Industry News
Nidec Introduces MGC300: A Next-Generation Multifunction Gear Center
Gear Technology
Nidec Machine Tool Corporation has launched the MGC300, a state-of-the-art multitasking gear center designed to meet the evolving needs of the US gear manufacturing industry. Available now, the MGC300 combines a vertical 5-axis machining center with advanced gear-processing capabilities, delivering a powerful solution for manufacturers seeking to boost productivity, streamline operations, and reduce costs.Read More
Swanson Industries Acquires the Off-Highway Business of TransAxle
Power Transmission Engineering
Swanson Industries, Inc. has acquired the Off-Highway Business of TransAxle Holdings, LLC. The Off-Highway Business is a premier U.S.-based remanufacturer of transmissions, differentials, hydraulics, axles and brake systems, and related industrial products for numerous off-highway verticals. Over its 46-year history, the Off-Highway Business has built a reputation for delivering unparalleled capabilities, quality, and service.Read More
New Plastic Gearbox Design Paves Way for Affordable, Scalable Robot Production
Machinemaker
A collaboration between Envalior, SENTImotion, and Frencken Group has led to a major leap in robotics manufacturing. The partnership has unveiled a new gearbox design, built around high-performance plastic components, that enables the efficient and cost-effective mass production of lightweight, energy-saving robotic systems.Read More
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Engineers Launch Unmanned Vessels and new Ideas at NSWCDD Workforce Development Innovation Challenge
NAVSEA
The first team of scientists and engineers arrive at Upper Machodoc Creek on a still and steamy summer morning. They’ve brought with them a field-ready research station: a laptop computer, a controller, a base station and a BlueBoat—a small, unmanned vessel commonly used in robotics operations.Read More
Research on Fault Diagnosis Method for Variable Condition Planetary Gearbox Based on SKN Attention Mechanism and Deep Transfer Learning
Scientific Reports
This study proposes a deep transfer learning method using a Selective Kernel Networks (SKN) attention mechanism to improve fault diagnosis accuracy for planetary gearboxes under variable operating conditions. By incorporating dynamic convolutional kernel selection and sub-domain adaptation via Local Maximum Mean Discrepancy (LMMD), the model achieves an average diagnostic accuracy of 92.9%, outperforming traditional deep transfer learning approaches.Read More
ZF Has a New EV Powertrain that Promises a 30 Percent Winter Range Improvement
BBC TopGear
Vehicle tech supplier ZF has created a modular e-drive powertrain that they say gives electric cars up to 30 percent more range in extreme cold conditions. The Select modular system—to give the thing its official name—combines electric motors, converters, inverters, transmission and the software package needed to optimize electron-fueled propulsion, though the company says all the components are interchangeable.Read More
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SEW-Eurodrive Now Assembles Planetary Gear Units in the U.S.
The Robot Report
SEW-Eurodrive GmbH this week announced a major expansion in its U.S. manufacturing capabilities. The company will now locally assemble its P2.e planetary gear units in Wellford, S.C. This means lead times for the product are now as short as six weeks in two-stage and three-stage cataloged ratios and as little as 12 weeks for non-stocked options.Read More
Plastics Are Reshaping the Future of Robots
Manufacturing Today
A breakthrough in robotics manufacturing could make mass production of intelligent, lightweight robots more feasible and cost-effective. Envalior, SENTImotion and Frencken Group have jointly developed a new gearbox concept—SMFdrives—built using engineering plastic rather than traditional metal.Read More