Carlo Gorla – 
It is now official, the second edition of Gear Forum, to be held in Parma (Italy) next spring, together with MECSPE, is confirmed and the organizational machine is already marching at full speed.
On the wake of the success of the 2013 edition, there will be then a new opportunity to talk once more about gears and transmissions at top levels, thanks to the presence of personages of international renown.
Next year edition, even dealing in general, as usual, with gears and transmissions in the various applications, with their performances and efficiency, will be however focused on technology, that is to say on the production of gears.
The manufacturing of more and more performing and efficient transmissions is in fact expected and, to this end, the market makes available machinery and tools constantly improved in terms of both attainable results, productivity and efficiency.
Concerning the latter aspect, companies- which perfectly know that only keeping pace with technological innovation can survive in times of lower and lower margins – will be satisfied with being informed about the state of the art by an academic delegate of a prestigious European University specialized in gear machining.
The knowledge of the product attainable performances according to the production process is anyway not less important: the strength characteristics of a toothed wheel are in fact determined by its macro-geometry, by the used material and by heat treatments as well as by the micro-geometry and by the surface state, meant not only as roughness but also as texture and residual stresses, all elements strictly connected with the finishing process.
It is a theme at which both machine and tool manufacturers and universities are actively working: not by chance, those universities that have always been in the forefront of the studies regarding gear performances are now acquiring also the machines able to finish the prototypes to be tested. Those historically specialized in production technologies are instead more and more presenting studies that concern the performances attained by determinate machining. I am referring in particular to two famous German universities, both represented in the international scientific committee of the next Gear Forum, which will inform us about the latest developments in this issue, too.
It will be also interesting to see the application of these principles in the various sectors and especially in automotive, always in the forefront on these issues, as well as to learn how design tools and software are evolving to meet trends.
Novelty with regard to the past edition, the presence in the international scientific committee of a market analyst who will explain megatrends and potentialities in the gear industry.
In short, there will be something for everyone: we are waiting for you!
