June 2017

Publisher's Page

Moving in the Right Direction

Over the past several months, members of our staff have traveled quite a bit, and we've had a lot of opportunities to gauge their confidence. And while nobody is overwhelmingly enthusiastic - nobody has told us this is their best year ever - almost everyone seems at least content with the stability that slow and steady growth provides.

Voices

Gear Expo - The Drive Technology Show

Where do you go to find new suppliers for your power transmission projects? Where do you test drive the latest technologies available?

Technical Articles

Baldor Basics: Applications

Fans, blowers and other funny loads are addressend, along with RMS Horsepower loading.

Determination of Load Distributions on Double Helical-Geared Planetary Gearboxes

Standardized calculation methods such as ISO 6336 and DIN 3990 already exist to determine the load distributions on gears inside a planetary gearbox, but by their very universal nature, these methods offer varying results depending on the gearbox design. Double helical gears, in particular, can benefit from more specific, complex algorithms to reach a maximum level of efficiency. Double helical gears interact with the rest of the gearbox differently than helical or spur gears, and thus benefit from different analytical models outside the standardized methods. The present research project describes the algorithm to determine the load distribution of planetary gearboxes with double helical gears.

Vibration Analysis Goes Mainstream

Using vibration analysis to evaluate machine health has many benefits, and with advances in sensor, recording, and analysis technology, vibration analysis is now within the reach of even small organizations.

Feature Articles

Miniature Motion Solutions

Motor technology thrives in aerospace/defense applications.

Guide to V-Belt Selection and Replacement

V-belts look like relatively benign and simple pieces of equipment. They're basically a glorified rubber band, right? Need a replacement? Just measure the top width and circumference, find another belt with the same dimensions, and slap it on the drive. There's only one problem: that approach is about as wrong as you can get.

How to Select a DC Motor: Coreless and Iron Core Brushed DC Motors

DC motors possess linear relationships that allow for very predictable operation. For instance, if enough voltage is applied across the terminals of a DC motor, the output shaft will spin at a rate proportional to that applied voltage. You can take the ratio of the applied voltage over the rated voltage and multiply that number by the no load speed and get the running speed.

Power Play

Al-Jazari - Mechanical Genius

The following is a very brief overview on the life, work and achievements of Al-Jazari - the most famous mechanical engineer of his time. Now well more than 1,000 years ago,