Gear manufacturing technology hasn’t changed much in the past several years—at least not at the pace of other industries—but we’re on the verge of seeing a radical transformation that could lower gear manufacturing costs while making gears more versatile than ever before.
There are three trends to watch for in the near future:
- Materials. First, we could see a breakthrough in the materials used for gears. Right now, gear manufacturers rely on several different materials, depending on the nature of the job. Plastic, ceramic, and metal are all common, but each come with some kind of limitation; for example, metallic gears aren’t usable in applications with magnetic interference, and ceramic gears aren’t as easy to manufacture. In the future, we may see the rise of hybrid materials like metallic glass, that improve upon these weaknesses.
- 3D printing. We may also see the rise of 3D printing as a viable way to produce new gears. Right now, 3D printing is becoming popular, but it has a few weaknesses that make it unsuitable for industrial gear manufacturing; machines are expensive, the printing process is slow, and the finished piece lacks precision (and oftentimes needs adjustments). However, future improvements could make 3D printing more useful to gear manufacturers.
- Automation. We may also see more automation making gear manufacturing more streamlined. Today, even our most advanced machinery still requires human oversight and intervention, and we need the minds of human engineers to design proper gears for niche applications. But in the future, automated algorithms may be able to accomplish some of these responsibilities.
Regardless of how these trends play out, Federal Gear will be on top of them. We’ve been operating in Northeast Ohio for more than 100 years, and throughout that time, our commitment to precision and customer service have never wavered.
If you’re interested in getting a quote for your next gear manufacturing project, contact us today!