Oct 24, 2014
The 5th WZL Gear Conference USA took place on the 22nd and 23rd of October 2014 at the Gleason Works Rochester facility. In all over 130 people participated in the conference. This was the second time that Gleason was associated with the biennial event having also hosted the inaugural affair in 2005. Gleason presented the event on behalf of the Laboratory for Machine Tools and Production Engineering (Das Werkzeugmaschinenlabor, WZL) at RWTH Aachen University (Germany), one of the world’s leading research institutes in the field of gear research and production technology.
The grand lobby at the Rochester facility was opened for pre-registration activities on Tuesday. Under the watchful eyes of historical portraits, William Gleason among others, and the sounds of Vivaldi and other classics, participants received their welcoming packages, identification badges and were given the opportunity to meet and reacquaint themselves. A display of Gleason literature and a corporate video helped establish the technical atmosphere for the days to follow while other Gleason artifacts on exhibit in the lobby showcased Gleason’s rich 150 year heritage in the gear industry.
Day one of the Conference began in the newly renovated GWR Auditorium with welcoming remarks by WZL’s Prof. Dr.-Ing. Fritz Klocke and Gleason’s VP Dr. Hermann J. Stadtfeld, CEO Mr. John J. Perrotti and VP Mr. Brian M.Perry. Participants were then treated to a morning filled with technical demonstrations in the Specialized Gear Services and Research and Development Departments. Nine tour stations were used to present Gleason technologies ranging from the established CURVIC coupling process to the just introduced Radial Trueable cutter heads and Power Skiving on bevel gear cutting machines.
A full afternoon of technical presentations followed lunch with topics that included Robust Bevel Gear Design via Variational Calculus and Dynamic Transmission Error Measurement in Gear Applications among others. Gleason’s Dr. Stadtfeld along with R&D Associate Ms. Jasmin Saewe presented a paper dealing with non-involute gearing that earned commendation not only for its technical merit but also for the entertaining, theatrical presentation given with both authors on stage. Day one of the conference came to a close with an Evening Reception at the Hyatt Regency Rochester Hotel. The stage was set for conference attendees to socialize in a relaxed atmosphere while enjoying good food, drink and camaraderie. Mr. Perrotti once again offered pleasantries to the group followed by WZL dignitary’s thanking their hosts and acknowledging a job well done by members of the Gleason staff including Ms. Andrea Hiscock, Ms. Jackie Roarke and Gleason/WZL liaison Ms. Jasmin Saewe.
Day two of the conference followed a similar format as day one with a focus on manufacturing. The tour once again was filled with technical demonstrations that this time made their way out into the high bay assembly area. Technology on display included metrology, work holding, material science, Gleason 4.0 and more. The afternoon technical presentations also emphasized manufacturing and unified the theme for the day. Closing remarks rounded out the day with WZL’s Prof. Dr.-Ing. Christian Brecher declaring the Conference a rousing success, stating “this conference sets the standard for others to follow.”