The Operating Ratio Report (ORR) is the benchmarking report for the gear industry. It is the annual profitability survey of AGMA members. Reporting is easy and absolutely FREE of charge, but only available to AGMA members who make gears in North America.

The new emerging technology webinar series kicks off with an important discussion on the new rules for handling controlled unclassified information (CUI), CMMC. These rules, Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) went into effect in November 2020 for all new contracts. Join Jon Powvens, Director of Cybersecurity for MxD to discuss this important topic and find your shortest path to success. The new webinar series is the first Wednesday of each month, and FREE for AGMA members. 

Evaluation of loaded tooth contact and development of tooth modifications using commercially available software to improve Khb and optimize power density. Two real life gearing examples will be presented in the course, one will have a cantilever mounted pinion, the other a shaft pinion straddled non-symmetrically by bearings. Both examples demonstrate component deflections under load which significantly reduce tooth mesh contact which is then corrected with developed helix and profile modifications. 

With careful conversations and appropriate safety measures, we are moving forward to hold a face-to-face SRN this year. The meeting will include a 4-hour contract negotiation course, presentations, networking and a tour of the Clemson University SCE&G Energy Innovation Center—the world’s most advanced wind turbine drivetrain testing facility. This event will be limited to 45 registrants, so please register early.

Engineering.com
As is the case with most historical progress, it’s hard to pinpoint when Industry 4.0 first started. We generally define the start of the third industrial revolution as roughly 1969, when programmable logic control systems emerged as a usable resource in production. Arguably, we are in the midst of the beginning of the fourth industrial revolution.

Reuters
Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. has agreed to acquire Kansas City Southern in a $25 billion case-and-stock deal to create the first railway spanning the United States, Mexico and Canada, standing to benefit from pick-up in trade. It would be the largest ever combination of North American railways by transaction value.

Energy.gov
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced up to $24.5 million in support improvements in domestic manufacturing to build resilient, modern electricity infrastructure and address the climate emergency. The two funding opportunities will back research and development for the materials and technologies needed to expand the grid with new, clean-energy sources, deliver affordable electricity to disadvantaged communities, and help reach the Biden Administration’s goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Robotics and Automation News
The company says the sprayer brings “advanced technology and farming together to change the direction of the agriculture industry.” GUSS says its robot enables farmers to increase efficiency and precision as well as keep their crews safer than ever before.

Diginomica
Recent studies from Plex and PTC are not only directional, but inform us as to how manufacturers see Smart Manufacturing/Fourth Industrial Revolution initiatives in the pandemic age. 

Today’s e-Mobility
The 9th annual Drive for Design contest offers winners tech tools, meetings with auto designers and a summer program at Detroit’s College for Creative Studies.

Gear Technology
ISO Central recently announced the publication of the following new standards: ISO 4156-1:2021 E, Straight cylindrical involute splines – metric module, Parts 1, 2 and 3. Straight cylindrical involute splines manufactured in accordance with ISO 4156 (all parts) are used for clearance, sliding and interference connections of shafts and hubs. They contain all the necessary characteristics for the assembly, transmission of torque and economic production.

Modern Machine Shop
The transition into Swiss-type machining at Deking Screw Products required more than just a shift in production operations. It required a new mindset and a new way of running the family-owned business. Hardest of all, it required that one generation let go and allow a new one to step in.

Press Release
With this acquisition, Bonfiglioli S.p.A. will further verticalize its production both in Italy and China, expanding its robotic applications market thanks to extremely high precision efficiency gear units development.

Gear Solutions
Power skiving is a viable alternative to hobbing and broaching is establishing new quality and cost benchmarks with integrated resharpening, which revolutionizes the manufacturing process and current tooling concepts.

Engineering.com
Autodesk passed $1 billion in revenue for the first time in its history. Most of that ($911 million) was profit, giving the company a ridiculous, unheard-of 88% profit margin. Don’t expect that every quarter. Most of the profit was due to the $679 million deferred tax asset valuation allowance released in Q4, explained CEO Andres Anagnost. 

The Verge
Amazon-backed electric vehicle startup Rivian will install more than 10,000 fast chargers across the U.S. and Canada by 2023, the company announced. The Rivian Adventure Network is designed to allow quick recharges along highways and also includes Level 2 Charges at more remote locations near parks and other destinations.

Mining.com
Mining companies adopted a more conservative approach after the 2015-16 market downturn, to adjust to more volatile commodity prices, focusing on cost cutting, productivity and expanding liquidity says a new report by Moody’s Investor Service, a ratings agency.

 

Reuters
The U.S. government is working to help American miners and battery makers expand into Canada, part of a strategy to boost regional production of minerals used to make electric vehicles and counter Chinese competitors.

Mining.com
In 2020, a total of 18,750 tons of cobalt were consumed in batteries of newly-sold passenger EVs globally, an increase of 29% year-over-year, a new report reveals. According to the market analyst, the increase in cobalt use was the result of a surge in passenger BEV and PHEV sales in the second half of the year, particularly in China and Europe.

Automation.com
Demonstrating static electricity by using a charged balloon to levitate your hair is a classic science experiment. But, imagine if you could harness the same static cling to handle materials as fragile as an egg, as flimsy as soft fabric — or to assemble the uppers of Nike trainers at 20 times the pace of a human worker.