Although gears have been indispensable components in various sectors such as mechanical engineering, automotive engineering and industrial gear manufacturing for many decades, increasing requirements and current market developments are constantly presenting the transmission technology industries with new challenges. In modern gear transmissions, competition, besides the price, is determined by load-carrying capacity, operational reliability and noise excitation behavior. In the automotive industry in particular, reliable transmissions with high power density, low weight and minimal noise emissions are required. The current trend towards e-mobility, as well as general ecological and economical challenges to improve resource efficiency, lead to increased demands on gear quality and surface finish. In this context, the finishing and quality inspection of gears take on central roles. As the finishing of gears has a significant influence on their operational behavior, the reliability of the processes must be continuously ensured with regard to a high quality of the work result.
Therefore, at this year’s Aachen Forum on Gear Production, which is organized hand in hand by the WZL of RWTH Aachen University and the Research Association Transmission Technology (FVA), the focus is on finishing processes and quality inspection of gears.
The spectrum of topics ranges from process and tool design in line with requirements to the manufacturing of individual gear geometries and measures for continuous quality assurance. Aspects of modern finishing processes for the generation of superfinished surfaces, quality inspection during production, and the economic efficiency of production and application are presented.
The objective of the Aachen Forum on Gear Production is an exchange of knowledge and experience between engineers who are employed or have responsibility in the design, development, production, assembly, and application of gear drives. The individual technical presentations feature both manufacturers of machines and tools as well as users who report on their own practical experience. In addition, there are interesting presentations by research experts.