Today, gearboxes are inevitable in numerous applications requiring high power density including wind turbines, electric vehicles, cranes, robotics, etc. A combination of high-ratio gearboxes with high-speed, low-torque motors is often used to achieve high power density. Planetary gear trains (PGTs) help achieve a high gear ratio in a compact arrangement. Several configurations of planetary gears are widely studied in this article where the gear profiles used in these studies are primarily involute.

With the new SKF Bearing App for the popular Ansys Mechanical Finite Element Analysis (FEA) software, engineers no longer need to rely on approximations or complex, unreliable models in their simulations. 

Gear Motions is proud to announce that Auto Gear Inc. has joined the Gear Motion’s family. Auto Gear located in Syracuse, New York, specializes in efficient and economical low-volume gearbox production, from design to delivery. 

Updated research from Interact Analysis shows the geared motors and industrial gears market experienced strong growth in 2021. The market expanded by 16 percent last year, with the sharp rise driven by price increases. On average, the selling price for geared motors and gearboxes increased by 7.8 percent in 2021, with further price rises forecast in 2022. 

Interact Analysis have recently released the 3rd edition of the Geared Motors and Industrial (Heavy-Duty) Gears report. This market study covers finished geared motors and gearboxes for general industrial use, including light- and heavy-duty products, as well as planetary gears, with the exclusion of precision gearboxes and loose gear parts. In this edition, amidst global macroeconomic uncertainty, market trend projections have become more volatile compared to previous years.

For optimal gear design in accordance with requirements, it is essential to consider load spectra under the most realistic conditions possible as early as the virtual basic design phase. This is the only way to ensure that all components are loaded as evenly as possible to avoid overdimensioning.

Optimized design saves resources and costs and improves the CO₂ balance – an aspect that is becoming increasingly important in the current environment and can offer a competitive advantage. Load spectrum calculations are also important for replacing complex time and cost-intensive experiments by simulating test rig damage tests.

David Brown Santasalo (DBS) was delighted to recently welcome valued customer, Breedon Cement’s new intake of apprentices, reliability engineers and their mentors to their Park Works, Huddersfield, UK facility for a day of training delivered by DBS’ Development Director, Mike Field.

At the beginning of this year, the automotive and industrial supplier Schaeffler acquired Melior Motion GmbH, an innovative manufacturer of precision gearboxes for robotics and automation applications, among others. As of December 1, 2022, Melior Motion GmbH will operate under the name of Schaeffler Ultra Precision Drives GmbH. The aim of the acquisition is to continuously expand the Industrial division’s portfolio of precision gearboxes and to secure a strategically strong position in the dynamically growing market for industrial automation.

GWJ Technology GmbH, based in Braunschweig, Germany, is a leading manufacturer and provider of calculation solutions for mechanical and gear engineering. With its web-based software eAssistant as well as the special software GearEngineer, GWJ supports GaliGear—an interactive learning tool for children. 

Wind-turbine drivetrains undergo severe transient loading during start-ups, shut-downs, emergency stops, and during grid connections. Load cases that result in torque reversals may be particularly damaging to bearings, as rollers may be skidding during the sudden relocation of the loaded zone. Seals and lubrication systems must work reliably over a wide temperature variation to prevent the ingress of dirt and moisture and perform effectively at all rotational speeds in the gearbox. Many wind-turbine gearboxes have also suffered from fundamental design issues such as ineffective interference fits that result in unintended motion and wear, ineffectiveness of internal lubrication paths and problems with sealing. Improving the resistance of future gearbox designs to all these issues is a key to the future cost of energy generated by wind turbines.