Greetings 2026! As expected, EV demand has waned following some deregulation and tax credits being dropped as of September 2025. For us industry folks, this is simply reality catching up with the narrative. On the plus side, 2025 was a very good year for global vehicle sales–the best since 2019 (Ref. 1). A good economy can forgive many blunders. As gearbox designers, our work continues as our EV offerings are likely a permanent part of our product lineup, even if at a reduced volume. When it comes to single speed offset gearboxes, many OE’s have a similar 3 parallel shaft design, running ratios typically between 7:1 to 15:1. Some higher speed boxes are going above 20:1 ratio now, but the basic architecture is unchanged. The Tesla design shown here is a common baseline design:
Consider the following scenario: guided by vision sensors, a robot spots a product on a moving conveyor, determines its exact position and, in one fluid motion, picks it up and places it into a waiting assembly, carrier tray, or shipping container. What human operators once found tiring—or at least tedious, the robot performs flawlessly, hour after hour, even long after its flesh-and-blood coworkers have gone home for the evening.
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Bosch Rexroth continues to expand the ctrlX platform with new capabilities and automation enhancements. The control platform ctrlX COREplus is now available with AI functions on all performance levels. In the area of motion and drives, Bosch Rexroth is presenting compact, energy-efficient, and cabinet-free drives from the ctrlX DRIVE portfolio, which cover virtually all performance ranges. These are complemented by the Motion, CNC, and Robotics software ctrlX MOTION, which is ideal solution for automating production machines and systems. PTE recently had a great conversation with Garrett Wagg, product manager, controls at Bosch Rexroth on new developments in mobile robotics.
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The load limit diagram of a motor spindle serves to graphically represent the permissible operating range as a function of parameters such as rotational speed. It enables a quick assessment of the conditions under which the spindle can be operated safely and reliably without exceeding mechanical, thermal or dynamic limits. Such a diagram is a key tool for the design, selection and evaluation of spindle systems in mechanical engineering particularly in the field of machining where high demands are placed on precision, performance and service life.
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Despite a lukewarm sustainability agenda here in the United States, global bearing manufacturers continue to be motivated by eco-friendly technologies, environmental awareness and energy efficiency regulations. Material innovation is one of the key strategies to reduce environmental impact moving forward. Concerns include energy consumption in manufacturing, waste generation, emissions from lubricants and raw material extraction. The end goal is to provide longer-lasting components with less waste.
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The path toward success in mechanical power transmission today hinges on an organization’s ability to provide smart and digital automation solutions. Customers are looking for system components boasting more performance, precision, and cost effectiveness in robotics and industrial automation applications. Schaeffler, the global technology company specializing in solutions for the automotive and industrial sectors, offers a strong and diverse product range not only for large industrial robots, but also for lightweight and collaborative robots (cobots).
This study presents a simulation method for considering complex wheel bodies in an analytical tooth contact model. The wheel body is considered using reduced FE stiffness. Reduction points are defined over the width and linked with the analytical gear.
For cylindrical wheel bodies, comparative calculations show fewer deviations from the expected results with the new method. This is due to the additional degrees of freedom in the FEM model. In the calculation with cylindrical wheel bodies, bending due to axial force in tooth contact could also be verified in addition to the deformation in tooth contact and the influence of the shaft-bearing system.
Since taking over as CEO of Solve Industrial Motion Group in June 2024, Ernie Lauber has focused on continuous improvement, predictive maintenance and growing the legacy brands within Solve.
Combining brands such as IPTCI, MasterDrive, PTI and TRITAN together with the LMS, SST, SPB-USA and USA Roller product lines, Solve Industrial Motion Group is a provider of high-quality metric and American Standard power transmission components and industrial-grade bearings.
Automation has become a key driver of efficiency and productivity, regardless of industry. Among the most popular automation solutions are automated guided vehicles (AGVs) and autonomous mobile robots (AMRs). While both technologies automate and enhance material handling and reduce manual labor, there are key differences in their functionality, flexibility, and areas of application that set them apart.
The drive system choice is dependent on key motion features of your application. Lead screws offer self-locking capabilities, while ball screws require brakes to prevent back-driving. The choice between them hinges on efficiency, cost, precision, and speed, with the screw drives themselves paired with a linear guide for optimal performance.
Bellows couplings are commonly used in applications requiring precise rotation, high speeds, and dynamic motion transmission. With zero backlash and a high level of torsional stiffness, they offer clear performance advantages in many servo-driven systems.
The Simplicity self-lubricating linear plain bearings are built to last, and they will often out-perform and last longer than a traditional linear ball bearing. Called the “little red bearing” by loyal customers, they have been a popular replacement for failing ball bearings. Simplicity plain bearings will not catastrophically fail.
The difference between a smooth-running drive and constant headaches? The right timing belt and pulley plus a whole lot more. Discover what works, what doesn’t, and put your design skills to the test—engineer your best system yet!
Discover how Regal Rexnord’s Bauer™ PMSM gear motor helped a transportation company streamline inventory, cut energy use, and save $80,000 annually. Learn how this scalable solution delivers financial, operational, and sustainability gains across facilities.
Forest City Gear manufactures extremely high-precision gears made for the most advanced robotics, right in Roscoe, IL. This family-owned team of gearheads specialize in high-precision gears engineered to handle the most demanding robotic applications—on Earth, and way beyond.
Feb 19, 2026
Voith announces the addition of Michal Kalita as Voith Turbo’s new vice president of sales for the industry division in North America. Kalita will be based at Voith’s Houston, TX location.
Turntide Technologies (Turntide) will unveil the Turntide Axial Flux Electric Drive Unit (EDU) during CONEXPO-CON/AGG (CONEXPO). This Axial Flux EDU provides electric and hybrid system manufacturers of any size with a configurable, proven and scalable platform that can remove months, if not years, of component-level testing, decreasing time and cost to market.
Jun 1, 2026 - Jun 4, 2026
Cleanpower 2026 (Houston) grows businesses by gathering key decision makers and stakeholders across the wind, solar, storage, hydrogen, and transmission industries for discussion, deal making, networking and a whole lot of fun.
Jun 15, 2026 - Jun 18, 2026
Mar 17, 2026 - Mar 18, 2026
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Power Transmission Engineering is THE magazine of mechanical components. PTE is written for engineers and maintenance pros who specify, purchase and use gears, gear drives, bearings, motors, couplings, clutches, lubrication, seals and all other types of mechanical power transmission and motion control components.
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