I would like to briefly discuss some thoughts on ball bearing efficiency specifically in terms of applied load and resulting stress. I don’t want to trivialize this subject; there are textbooks written on the subjects of electrohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL), octahedral subsurface shear stress and friction losses due to elastic hysteresis. This is a just a high-level discussion on the importance of individual bearing stress on efficiency. 

Randy Stott, publisher of Power Transmission Engineering and Gear Technology magazines, recently sat down with Norm Parker, technical fellow and technical manager for Torque Transfer Systems at Stellantis, to discuss bearing technology during the Motion + Power Technology Expo in Detroit.

It seems like everyone is jumping into the electric gearbox market. Even Schaeffler is in the electric drive module (EDM) market now with their own 800v system. With all these new entries, some companies are satisfied with following traditional bearing arrangements while some want new and unique solutions or some combination of both. There is heavy debate over which styles are the best. In this article, we will talk about the different types of 2-bearing arrangements for each shaft with the pros and cons of each for a simple three shaft, single speed parallel axis gearbox (ala Tesla style).

Welcome back to Part 2 of our inner ring and creep discussion. We left off with our creep calculation resulting in a 10.5 µm minimum inner ring fit to avoid creep. For the sake of making clean dimensions, let’s call it 10 µm on the lower end and the upper end is simply whatever your manufacturer can hold.

I think I spend more time talking about ball bearings today than at any other time in my career. Ball bearings have always had a large place in automotive, but not typically in high demand positions—other than a few niche areas. High demand positions, such as axles and planetaries, were typically reserved for tapers, needles and cylindricals. The landscape is changing quickly.

In everyday life and in the technical fields we often discover that certain decisions are based on “scientific data” when, in fact, they are often founded on historic conclusions that have not been challenged or re-evaluated in a long time. One such common myth is that for a stable and well-tuned drive you should match the motor’s inertia to the load inertia, which is typically done using a gearbox. Two factors lead to that conclusion: a. there is an optimization formula using the time constant of the motor and the load torque that shows that the best acceleration will be achieved if the reflected load inertia matches the rotor inertia; and b. a PID controller, which was commonly used when electric servos entered the marketplace, tend to perform best and appear to be most stable when the inertia are close or matched.

In the past, we designed motors and drives separately from the mechanical system, and then we integrated suitable components to make a system work. Increasingly, though, the design focuses more on the overall system aspect and system integration, which makes the design of customized components more challenging. In this article, we will use examples of specific software tools, and it should be noted that these are just that: examples. For many of these tools, multiple similar and good software packages exist that can be used.

There’s a delicate balance in the constant evolution of today’s assembly line. Once dominated by hydraulics, manufacturing floors are incorporating a growing number of electromechanical solutions to supplement legacy hydraulic components, particularly in lower force, linear motion applications. Manufacturers that recognize this trend and harness the benefits of both hydraulic and electromechanical solutions position themselves to optimize future operations, regardless of market trend demands.

A provider of engineering services in the hydraulic and pneumatic industry anticipates new orders in 2025 for movie prop platforms that use low-coefficient-of-friction Vesconite bushings. It hopes to produce several platforms in 2025, which will add to the number of platforms that it has produced since its first foray into the movie industry in May 2005. 

State-of-the-art doesn’t begin to describe ABB’s revamped robotics and training facility in Auburn Hills, MI. The upgraded factory serves as a U.S. hub for developing AI-enabled technology helping businesses respond to labor shortages, global uncertainty and sustainable manufacturing. 

In recent years, the power engineering manufacturing industry has been undergoing a significant modernization movement, driven by the rapid advancement of robotics, automation, and artificial intelligence. Amazon's recent announcement of its in Shreveport, Louisiana, serves as a prime example of this revolution in action. 

The applications are too numerous to list in their entirety. Coffee grounds. Eggshell waste. Pomegranates and pineapples. Manure and paper mill sludge. Tobacco. These are just a few of the materials that require dewatering, a process that—as its name suggests—separates fluids from solids, often converting what would otherwise go down the drain or end up in a landfill into saleable products.