As human history enters the 21st century, it has become a consensus to build a digital earth. Manufacturing informatization brings new opportunities and challenges to gear manufacturing industry. We should seize this opportunity to arm and transform the traditional gear technology with information technology and high and new technology to realize the informatization and integration of gear technology. China’s gear manufacturing industry has a glorious history. At present, we are faced with a huge challenge, that is, whether China, as a large gear manufacturing country, will become a “workshop” of gear manufacturing in the world, or a “partner” of a powerful gear manufacturing country?
1. Informatization of gear manufacturing industry
With the improvement of the whole industrialization level, the performance requirements of gear transmission are also increasing. High bearing capacity, small size, light weight, long service life, low price and good service become the weight of market competition. The gear manufacturing industry in China has widely used advanced unit technologies such as CAD / CAM, CAE, CAPP, RPM, etc. PDM, ERP-II, MIS, ERP, SCM, CSM and Internet / Intranet / Extranet will become the main aspects of the information construction of gear manufacturing enterprises. Informatization will give China’s gear manufacturing industry wings.
2. New gear materials
Nowadays, the material of gear manufacturing is basically steel, or, to expand a little, metal. With the rapid development of material science, many new materials will be used in gears. Polymer materials, such as plastics, have been used in gears, and they will have a greater role in the future. Ceramic materials have been used in engine cylinder and bearing. It is also expected to be reflected in gear transmission. Nano materials and intelligent materials will play a wonderful and important role in gear material family because of their special properties in physics, chemistry, mechanics, optics and so on.
3. Gear Tribology
Due to the higher and higher requirements for gear devices, tribology will play a more important role in reducing the friction of gears, reducing the wear of gears and improving the lubrication performance of gears. Compared with mechanical science, tribology is a new subject with more potential. Tribological design will take lubricant into account. The design idea that lubricant is a mechanical part will be embodied in the digital design of gear. The modification technology of gear surface, the research of new lubricants, nano lubricant additives, new lubrication methods and lubrication solutions under special environment will become hot spots.
4. Improvement of independent innovation ability
If China wants to become a powerful gear manufacturing country in the world, it must improve its ability of independent innovation and build a world famous brand. At present, the world famous gear manufacturers have appeared in China, showing us the advanced gear manufacturing technology and products, which is a good thing. But in the long run, we can’t just be satisfied with becoming the “production workshop” of the world’s gear manufacturing industry. We should also have the ability to occupy a place in the competition and become the “partner” of the world’s gear manufacturing power
After more than 40 years of development, Chinese gear technology has formed its own characteristics, such as arc gear technology, plane double enveloping hourglass worm technology and harmonic drive technology. In recent years, we have developed step type involute gear transmission, point line meshing involute gear transmission, bevel gear CNC machining machine, etc. In the future, we should pay attention to the innovation of gear technology and obtain more innovative technology products with independent intellectual property rights.
5. Gear green manufacturing technology
China’s gear manufacturing industry is a large industry with an annual output value of more than $3.1 billion. The manufacturing industry involves energy, materials, metallurgy, machining and many other industries. At the same time of improving the product quality and efficiency, we must pay attention to the design of the whole life cycle of the product, the energy conservation and environmental protection of each production link of the product and the recycling of the product. At present, the environmental protection problems in gear heat treatment process, the adoption of high-speed dry cutting to improve efficiency and workpiece quality, and the avoidance of environmental pollution caused by coolant (lubricant), the adoption of near net forming technology in gear processing such as precision casting and forging to save raw materials and reduce cutting process, and the circulation and regeneration of lubricating oil are all the research hotspots. In a word, the green manufacturing of gears is a major issue related to sustainable development, and China is expected to be a big country of green manufacturing of gears in the future.