We are putting the last touches on a great line up with thoughtful networking experiences for the virtual AGMA/ABMA Annual Meeting. We even have a pre-conference virtual golf experience! Registration is open, come to our website for the most up-to-date information.

If you have not been to the AGMA website recently, then you may not be aware of all of the new courses that are now available — in February, March and April — from AGMA. Upcoming classes include Analytical Gear Chart Interpretation, Involute Spline Design & Rating, and Design Basics for Spur and Helical Gears. Those classes are in addition to our annual classes — Gear Manufacturing and Inspection, and Basic Training. If you need training, we continue to be the place for you to come and find something that can help your career and company.

The AGMA Gear Market Report is a comprehensive snapshot of the gear industry. Those that purchase this subscription receive a baseline forecast; a recession alternative forecast; and the gear industry and market outlook. The first report of the year from IHS Markit will be distributed to those with a subscription this week. If you want to receive this, but not sure if your company has a subscription, email doran@agma.org.

Now more than ever, data matters. Calling all gear manufacturers in North America — your participation in the Monthly Market Trend Report (MMTR) is critical for us to get the most accurate data for 2021. This report, managed by AMT, is the only way to track actual booking and shipment data from domestic manufacturers of gears and flexible couplings. Only those that participate have access to the data in the system. The aggerate data is used both by the Federal Reserve for their reports and by IHS Markit for the AGMA Gear Market Report. Please direct your questions on this report to doran@agma.org and we will get you hooked up with AMT.

ISM press release
Economic activity in the manufacturing sector grew in January, with the overall economy notching an eighth consecutive month of growth. The January Manufacturing PMI® registered 58.7, down 1.8 percentage points from the seasonally adjusted December reading of 60.5 percent. The figure indicates expansion in the overall economy.

Press release
Solar Atmospheres Greenville, SC facility is pleased to announce it has been awarded GE Aviation approval. With this approval, now all Solar Atmospheres facilities are an option for our customers with GE Aviation requirements for vacuum heat treating and brazing services.

A3 via Gear Technology
For the first time, yearly orders of robots from non-automotive sectors surpassed automotive robot orders, as sales of robotic units in North America increased 3.5% in 2020 from 2019. This growth was driven by a strong Q4 that was the second-best quarter ever for North American robotic sales with a 63.6% increase over Q4 2019.

Emerson press release
Emerson, a global technology and industrial software leader, today announced Chief Executive Officer David N. Farr will retire on Feb. 5. Lal Karsanbhai, who has served as executive president of the company’s Automation Solutions business since 2018, will become the new CEO of Emerson and join the board of directors. Karsanbhai has led Automation Solutions to strong performance, elevating Emerson’s software profile and digital transformation business.

Metrology News
A 122 years old railway wagon manufacturer in Russia has recently made a huge leap from using "old-school" measuring equipment of calipers, gages and rulers to a high-performance fully automated 3D robot measuring cell. The project demonstrates that the leap from the past to Industry 4.0 and ‘The Smart Factory’ of the future can be made in one giant leap — even by very traditional manufacturing operations.

Associated Press
General Motors has set a goal of making the vast majority of the vehicles it produces electric by 2035, and the entire company carbon neutral, including operations, five years after that. The Detroit automaker’s push into electric vehicles has gone into overdrive this year. GM has already announced that it will invest $27 billion in electric and autonomous vehicle sin the next five years, a 35% increase over plans made before the pandemic. It will offer 30 all-electric models worldwide by the middle of the decade. By the end of 2025, 40% of its U.S. models will be battery electric vehicles. The company plans to include crossovers, SUVs, sedans and trucks in its electric vehicle lineup. 

Modern Machine Shop
Learn what superfinishing is, what applications it should be used for and why you should take care when specifying surface finish parameters. 

Industrial Machinery Digest
Improved resiliency is a common goal for most manufacturers. Disruptive events can happen at any time, but the most resilient companies can recover from them faster. There are many ways to strengthen an organization, but manufacturers often rely on automation. Here are some of the benefits they frequently see while doing so.

Power Transmission
Schaeffler is now reaping the rewards of its decision to create a specific business division for electric mobility three years ago, at the beginning of 2018. The start of mass production for multiple products across all electrification levels is testimony to Schaeffler’s successful engagement in the electric mobility arena and to its status as the technology partner for advancing how the world moves.

Manufacturing.net
The Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA) recently unveiled its list of top purchasing trends for 2021. The association anticipates more than $1.8 trillion will be spent on business-related goods this year.

ZDNet
Connectivity is the name of the game in manufacturing, and the game is getting a whole lot faster, as well as more reliable and secure. Technologies like 5G and edge computing are redefining connectivity in industrial settings like manufacturing and warehouses, bringing efficiency, reliability and welcome security to the connected machines that make and ship the goods which drive the manufacturing economy.

SME
SME Media’s Senior Technical Editor, Bruce Morey, provides his thoughts on the current state of American manufacturing, including  contradictory messages about the state of manufacturing in the U.S.

Robotics and Automation News
For a number of years now, Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) have been considered a promising technology for improving the resilience of manufacturing operations. Resilience means agility — the ability to react and adapt to change at speed, whether it be in response to fluctuations in demand, market conditions, supply lines, availability of labor, or otherwise. 

QuesTek press release
AGMA member, QueskTek Innovations LLC announced that it was awarded $1.2 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E). The funding will be used to design and develop a novel materials solution for next-generation turbine blade alloys and compatible coating systems. QuesTek will design a system of functionally-graded Niobium-based alloys suitable for Additive Manufacturing and that will be capable of sustaining high temperature operation and thus increasing fuel efficiency.

Industrial Machinery Digest
Additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, is moving into mainstream manufacturing due to its compelling benefits — it can be faster and more flexible than traditional manufacturing approaches. It also imposes fewer constraints on product design, supporting design freedom that comes from not having to integrate or consider manufacturing methods like welding, sheet metal and casting. Instead, engineers can focus on the minimum material needed for the design. Additive manufacturing can also combine multiple separate parts to design as a single additive component, which can eliminate the cost of precision machining each individual part.