Artists Bruce Rosenbaum and Ben Cowden earned film credits recently for prop design on the PBS documentary The Lie Detector: A Truly Unbelievable Story. This ambitious historical account of real-life inventors, marketers, law enforcement professionals, and snake oil salesmen traces the interconnected lives of John Larson, William Marston and Leonarde Keeler. 

Steel, iron, and aluminum are the dominant materials in the mechanical power transmission industry for good reason: high power density requires the high strength and stiffness of metallic materials. Plastics, however, offer valuable features that should be utilized for good gearbox design.

Mark your calendars for March 19–21, 2024, as the Bearing Show—colocated with Lubricant Expo—descends upon Huntington Place in Detroit. As North America’s premier exhibition and conference dedicated to bearings, this free-to-attend event promises to be a groundbreaking convergence of industry leaders, technological advancements, and invaluable networking.

Anticipation vs. reaction is the name of the game in fluid power, hydraulics, and pneumatics. The organizations embracing mechatronics, digital toolsets, AI and the electrification movement will be in a much better position moving forward. Here are a few of the trends/technologies to consider relating to fluid power and motion control today:

In industry and logistics, robots generally handle monotonous tasks that they can repeat almost endlessly with steady precision. A new type of tool changer now turns the specialist for large series into a flexible all-rounder, with which even small series and individual pieces can be produced economically. The TKX changer series from the IPR specialists features a motor from Faulhaber in the electric drive of the automatic changer.

Schaeffler announces the expansion of its operations in the U.S. with the addition of a new manufacturing facility focused on producing automotive electric mobility solutions. This announcement represents the company’s commitment to innovation and growth in the Americas region.

The Timken Company was recognized by Newsweek as one of America's Greatest Workplaces for Diversity. The ranking is the result of a study conducted by data research firm Plant-A Insights, which interviewed over 223,000 employees in the United States and collected over 1.5 million comprehensive company reviews.

GKN Automotive has expanded the role of current chief communications and sustainability officer, Dr. Clare Wyatt to include the global human resource’s function. With immediate effect, Dr. Wyatt will take the role of chief people, communications and sustainability officer.

Motion Industries, Inc. has signed a definitive purchase agreement to acquire the operating assets of Perfetto Manufacturing and SER Hydraulics. Subject to customary closing conditions, the transaction is expected to be finalized at the end of February.

Eaton recently announced that Ben Sheen, chief engineer, Eaton’s Mobility Group, was recently elected to the Board of Trustees for the Gear Research Institute (GRI) at Penn State University. The GRI is affiliated with the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and the American Gear Manufacturers Association (AGMA) to conduct research and development, consulting and analysis for gear related needs.