Today, we travel back in time to 1996 when the Red Line train was a maze of passengers reading either the Chicago Tribune or the Chicago Sun Times. You couldn’t find a seat where you wouldn’t accidentally get hit in the face by someone flipping the pages of a big, bulky newspaper.
If you work with gears, bearings, or any mechanical power transmission component—as an OEM, an engineer specifying equipment, or an operator keeping production lines running—chances are you’ve heard of AGMA or ABMA. You may have used their standards without realizing it. What you may not know is that those two organizations merged in May 2025 to form the Motion + Power Manufacturers Alliance, and that this new alliance was built with you in mind.
The electrification process involving urban mobility vehicles is pushing research into developing efficient and durable transmissions. The transmission system has the crucial role of transforming the electrical energy produced by the electric machine into mechanical power, which is subsequently delivered to the wheels through a gear reduction system.
Across sectors, the same operational truth is becoming harder to ignore: downtime has a direct impact on revenue. It ripples into supply chains, disrupts mission readiness, compromises service levels and, in some environments, creates genuine safety risk.
There’s a running theme throughout concrete and aggregate producers where the motors in crushers, conveyors and pumps need to operate efficiently, extend equipment life and cut downtime—easier said than done when dealing with dust, vibration and massive shock loads. These daily challenges can be the difference between having reliable onsite equipment or navigating the costs associated with unplanned failures.
Automation and smart technologies are fundamentally changing what manufacturing environments look like — and more importantly, what they can achieve. Rewriting the rules of flexibility and efficiency, automated and digitalized workflows make it possible to produce more complex products in less time with less waste.
In high-demand industrial environments like plastic recycling and extrusion, system efficiency, thermal management, and drive reliability are critical to operational success. FAE SRL, specialists in electrical panel design for OEMs in the plastics sector across Italy and Switzerland, needed a drive solution that could meet the rigorous demands of continuous operation, high power density, and seamless integration with modern control architectures.
I learned to skateboard in rural New York in the 1980s, when the best trick instructions available were a few photos with brief, inscrutably koan-like captions in the California-based Thrasher magazine. What happened between the frames was up to your imagination and tolerance for pain. The phrase “skate or die” held a double meaning—hesitation is how you get hurt, and to ride is to live. But one thing every skater quickly and viscerally encountered—without a vocabulary—was the nature of the mechanics underfoot. There is no motor, steering actuator, throttle, or brakes; it is a small plank of maple plywood bolted to two truck assemblies with wheels, and it does nothing until a body stands on it and begins precarious negotiations with gravity.
Zero-Max will be showcasing advancements with their CD Power-Series Couplings, the new ServoClass Floating Shaft/Line Shaft Coupling line, as well as developments with new technologies at the Automate 2026 show June 22-25 in Chicago, IL.
Trelleborg Sealing Solutions marks a step change in the environmental impact of critical industrial polymers with the launch of two ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) rubber grades demonstrating up to a 55 percent lower product carbon footprint (PCF).
With the redesigned E90R LN spring-applied brake, Dunkermotoren expands its brake portfolio with a solution that delivers quieter operation, precise control and uncompromising safety, even in the most demanding applications.
Automha and Comau presented their synergistic portfolio of integrated logistics automation solutions at Modex 2026. The joint portfolio covered all phases of the logistics flow: inbound product handling, intelligent storage strategies, automated storage and retrieval, order preparation and synchronized shipping.
NTN Bearing Corporation of America (NBCA) is pleased to announce the launch of the ROX spherical roller bearing product line to the American markets. This product line is specifically designed to withstand the extreme conditions of aggregate, mining, and heavy industrial environments.
Bosch Rexroth will be exhibiting its diverse factory automation solutions at Booth #2810 at Automate 2026 in Chicago, as manufacturing continues to transition to a more automated environment via advanced, modern technology. Bosch Rexroth‘s portfolio provides a full range of solutions that encompasses high-end components, digital engineering tools, interactive exhibits and live demonstrations of working systems.
Renishaw will highlight its latest solutions for maximizing robot performance and manufacturing efficiency at Automate 2026, taking place June 22–25 at McCormick Place in Chicago.
GenNx360 Capital Partners, a New York-based private equity firm focused on investing in middle-market industrial and business services companies, today announced that its portfolio company, Horsburgh & Scott, has acquired Franklin Machine & Gear, a provider of industrial gear and gearbox repair and replacement services.
WEG S.A. and SpinDrive has announced a strategic partnership. Unveiled at Hannover Messe 2026, the collaboration will integrate SpinDrive’s AMBs and built-in IoT condition monitoring into WEG’s electric motor offering, creating an oil-free, maintenance-free drive solution designed for the demands of modern industrial processes.
Regal Rexnord Corporation recently announced that its board of directors has appointed Aamir Paul to serve as chief executive officer (CEO) commencing no later than July 1, 2026, upon the conclusion of his responsibilities with his current employer, Schneider Electric SE.
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Power Transmission Engineering is THE magazine of mechanical components. PTE is written for engineers and maintenance pros who specify, purchase and use gears, gear drives, bearings, motors, couplings, clutches, lubrication, seals and all other types of mechanical power transmission and motion control components.
