March 2019

Manufacturing Economy 2019: A Summary

By most measures, and according to most observers, the manufacturing economy continues to hum along. U.S. manufacturing has been in growth mode for several years, although the rate of growth has slowed, and most are predicting that it will continue to slow throughout 2019.

Efficient Layout Process of Cylindrical Gears with Manufacturing Constraints

Cylindrical gear design can be divided into three steps. In the first step, rough gear pair dimensions such as center distance and face width are being estimated. Center distance and face width are directly linked to the available space (housing dimensions) and influence the overall size, weight and cost of the gears.

Optimization of Power Density by Local Gear Failure Modeling

Power density is a key factor in gear design. Increasing the power density enables engineers to use smaller gears for their applications which lead to smaller and lighter gear boxes. The benefit for example for the automotive industry is less moving load in the vehicles and therefor a reduction of fuel consumption and subsequently a reduction of CO2 emission. The limiting factor for the increase in power density of gears is the material strength in regard to the critical failure mode.

Systematic Improvement

With AGVs, a primary bottleneck on productivity is battery life. But when looking at an AGV as a full system, there are plenty of ways this bottleneck can be widened.

In Motion

The following special product news section examines the latest products and technologies in motion control.

Engineering Showcase - March 2019

Special advertising section featuring mechatronics and motion control.

Making Sense Out of Autonomous Vehicles

Autonomous vehicles (AVs), in particular, are set to utilize sensors for a multiple array of new technologies. In fact, lidar sensors may be the key to unlocking the potential of driverless cars in the future.

Insider's Guide to Automate 2019 and Promat

Automate Show Examines the Integration of Robotics, Automation and Machine Vision, while Promat explores the latest in material handling technology.

Industry News

The complete Industry News section from the March 2019 issue of Power Transmission Engineering.

No Regrets Over Lost Opportunity

It was recently announced that the planet Mars has at least one thing in common with planet Earth: all good things come to an end. In this case, the good thing is the recently announced and documented (Feb. 12) demise of the Mars rover Opportunity.

Product News

The complete Product News section from the March 2019 issue of Power Transmission Engineering.

Calendar

The complete technical calendar from the March 2019 issue of Power Transmission Engineering.