Monthly Emerging Tech webinar:
March 2, 2022 – 1-2 p.m. Eastern
Learn about new sensor technology developed through Nikola Labs that allows them to provide end-to-end online vibration analysis service to more than 150 facilities using stationary rotating assets across the United States. Hear from Jaidev Krishnan, Director of Condition Monitoring, on how they are able to start to eliminate unplanned downtime and provide in-depth prescriptive alerts. This webinar is free.

AGMA continues to provide its members with the most updated information on market economics possible. Your company should take advantage of The Gear Market Report (now a free member benefit!), Operating Ratio Report, Monthly Market Trend Report, and the newest free report, Manufacturing Industry Output Tracker. See how best to get the information you need today.

Recent construction improvements have been completed at our National Training Center at Daley College. Since 2016, AGMA and the AGMA Foundation have invested more than $120,000 in this facility. The Foundation is currently working on procuring additional machine donations to further enhance our outstanding education endeavors. These efforts are only possible through sustained generosity of our gear community. Help us to continue to move our industry forward. Donate today on the AGMA Foundation website.

Gear Technology
The webinar “Improvement of Gear Life and Performance” by Nitrex takes place Thursday, March 3, 2022. This presentation is a walk-through of a number of practical ways to optimize gears for greater results. Focusing on surface treatments, primarily nitriding and carburizing, the Nitrex speakers bring different perspectives and industry-specific know-how and practices to the topic – from the view of an equipment supplier and a commercial heat-treating services provider.

March 22-24, 2022 – Philadelphia, PA
A good understanding of individual failure modes and the failure scenarios that led to the actual system failure is an essential skill to designing gear/bearing systems that will operate properly for their full design life.

Fast Company
New research out of MIT, published in Nature, provides information on a team that developed an entirely new form of plastic dubbed 2DPA-1. It’s two times stronger than steel under load tests, with just one-sixth the material bulk.

New Atlas
As part of a new 50-aircraft deal with Qatar Airways, Boeing has introduced its new 777-8 Freighter, the world’s largest, longest-range twin-engine freightliner, with the same payload capacity as the 747-400 freighter.

For Construction Pros
The plant will introduce engines for Yanmar brand tractors manufactured by International Tractors Ltd. (a joint venture of Yanmar) and for other agricultural and construction industry OEMs.

Manufacturing Global
Safety is a significant concern in manufacturing facilities and warehousing. According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 4,764 fatal workplace injuries in the U.S. in 2020. This industry requires workers to take part in high-risk activities such as welding, soldering, heavy lifting, raw materials assembly and metal cutting.

Electrive
The Swedish sports car manufacturer Koenigsegg has presented a self-developed electric motor as well as an electric drive unit. The electric motor, named Quark, generates 250 kW up to 600 Nm of torque – at a weight of only 30 kilograms.

Carscoops
Car manufacturers are racing to launch new and exciting electric vehicles and as the industry develops, and it won’t just be battery packs that get more advanced. Electric motors themselves are also improving at a rapid rate. Many industry experts believe that efficiency gains made to EVs over the coming years will come just as much through developments in motor and power electronics as they will through advanced new battery packs.

Industry Week
For years, companies believed employees only wanted higher wages and better benefits, and “culture” stopped there. While being paid a competitive wage is certainly a priority, COVID-19 has taught us there are other important things, too. Employees want a work/life balance and to feel valued and appreciated.

Mining.com
Global cobalt production hit a record high of 170,000 tones in 2021, according to preliminary data released by the US Geological Survey (USGS). The number represents a 20% jump compared to 142,000 tonnes produced in 2020.

Aerospace Manufacturing and Design
GE Aviation has selected Boeing to support flight tests of its hybrid electric propulsion system using a modified Saab 340B aircraft and CT7-9B turboprop engines. Boeing and its subsidiary Aurora Flight Sciences will provide GE Aviation with airplane modification, system integration and flight-testing services. That work includes nacelle manufacturing, flight deck interface design and software, aircraft-level performance analysis and systems integration.

Wind Systems
Wind turbines in clean-energy production are like giant pinwheels that convert wind energy into electricity. Some of the strongest and most constant winds are those found offshore, feeding the need for floating wind farms and further research to advance renewable energy technology and methodology.

Bloomberg
Amid strong policy support and increasingly favorable economics, we believe the pace of solar capacity additions could accelerate 15-30% in 2022. This follows a record 2021, during which the industry expanded more than 25%, based on initial year-end assessments. Conversely, wind manufacturers could see sales stagnate or decline slightly in 2022, though the industry may be poised to grow 3-4x later this decade, driven higher by net-zero goals and clean energy policies.

Power Transmission Engineering
High performance, high precision and component compatibility top the list of gearmotor trends in our product-roundup for 2022. These products can be found in everything from AGV and mobile robotics to solar power, aerospace and large optical systems.

 

Purdue University
Purdue University will expand its hub of hypersonics research with the addition of a center focused on developing high-temperature materials and creating new manufacturing processes to build and join these materials, which will extend hypersonic vehicles’ capabilities and apply to other industries.

Motortrend
Three displays at CES 2022 featured fresh ideas in the electric motor space worthy of further exploration. Indigo Technologies, REE Automotive and Exro showed off new products that will contribute to the future of electric vehicles.

Engine + Powertrain Technology International
The State of Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), in conjunction with the state department Office of Future Mobility and Electrification (OFME), has awarded Electreon a tender to establish a wireless charging demonstration project, which will include a 1.6km wireless charging road and static charging stations.

Modern Machine Shop
One of our fascinations with large-format machine tools has little to do with their capabilities, but everything to do with the logistics involved with getting them up and running. Here’s how one of the world’s oldest builders of giant machine tools tackles the challenge.