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New version of IGD [3.8.54] available to download

IGD v.3.8.54 has been released on May 5th, 2022, and it is available to download now. Go to Help -> Check for updates… to update your current installed version of IGD. This new version includes the following features and/or enhancements:

  • Updated graphical IGD libraries to the latest version.
  • Implemented new geometries of external and internal cylindrical gears generated by skiving.
  • Implemented the comparison of profiles of skiving cutters in XYZ format.
  • Added a new feature to compute and show the deviations of the profiles of cylindrical gears with respect to the reference involute profile.
  • Fixed issue with TCA of helical gear drives with free-form designed tooth surfaces.
  • Implemented other small changes and overall improvements of the program as suggested by the members of the consortium.
  • Various general “under the hood” improvements.
PREVIOUS VERSIONS:

    IGD v.3.7.166

    • Fixed bug when importing ODB energy results.
    • Implemented other small changes and overall improvements of the program as suggested by the members of the consortium.

    IGD v.3.7.161

    • Fixed representation of the contact pattern in the summary of TCA of face-gear drives.
    • Implemented the advanced definition of double-spur gears.
    • Various “under the hood” improvements.

    IGD v.3.7.137

    • Implemented tip-to-fillet interference detection as a result of TCA.
    • Fixed computation of the profile shift coefficient of internal spur gears generated by a shaper.
    • Fixed representation of the 2D FE model with quadratic elements for the whole gear set.
    • Implemented -Export assembly- option for helical gears.
    • Implemented other small changes and overall improvements to the program.

    IGD v.3.7.122

    • Implemented computation of backlash in CURVIC couplings.
    • Improved the TCA approach for CURVIC couplings.
    • Implemented -Export assembly- for CURVIC couplings and spur gears. It allows the assembly of the gear set to be exported to main CAD computer programs.
    • Removed absolute positioning errors for TCA. All gear sets now implement relative positioning errors.
    • Fixed default case for hypoid and hypoloid gear drives.
    • Implemented other small changes and overall improvements to the program.

    IGD v3.7.93

    • Fixed bug that prevented projects of internal helical gears generated by shaper to load correctly.
    • Changed the approach of TCA for spline couplings to improve the speed of computations.
    • Implemented the analysis of errors of alignment for the TCA of CURVIC couplings.
    • Implemented other small changes and overall improvements to the program.

    IGD v3.7.89

    • Fixed bugs on existing features of IGD reported by the Gear Research Consortium members.
    • Improved TCA and FEA of CURVIC couplings. Rotation in CCW and CW directions can be now analyzed.
    • Implemented Load/Save of CURVIC couplings projects containing finite element models.
    • Fixed default cases of spiral and globoidal worm gearsets.
    • Implemented other small changes and overall improvements to the program.

    IGD v3.7.83

    • Implemented the geometry, TCA, and FEA of CURVIC couplings (further evaluation and testing needed).
    • Fixed bugs on existing features of IGD reported by the Gear Research Consortium members.
    • Implemented other small changes and general improvements.

    IGD v3.7.58

    • Fixed bugs reported by Gear Research Consortium members.
    • Implemented geometry of spur gears generated by shaper.
    • Implemented advanced definition of the shaper to generate external spur gears by shaping.
    • Fixed some minor bugs reported or detected within the last week.

    IGD v3.7.37

    • Fixed bugs reported by the RIT's Gear Research Consortium members.
    • Implemented the advanced definition windows for internal spur and helical gears generated by shaper.
    • Implemented the advanced definition window for splines couplings.
    • Fixed some minor bugs reported or detected within the last week.

    IGD v3.7.24

    • Updated viewport to the newest graphic library.
    • Fixed bugs reported by the RIT's Gear Research Consortium members.
    • Improved definition of spline couplings to allow a general definition as well as definition according to ISO 4156.
    • Fixed bugs in the advanced definition window of external helical gears.
    • Added highly crowned geometry for the shaft of spline couplings.
    • Implemented advanced design windows for internal spur gears.
    • Other small changes and improvements.

    ALLISON TRANSMISSION renews its membership in the RIT's Gear Research Consortium for 2022

    ALLISON TRANSMISSION has renewed its membership in the RIT's Gear Research Consortium for the second year in a row. We are looking forward to another year of active collaboration. Their support and feedback on IGD are invaluable to make it a reference software for advanced design and simulation of gear drives. IGD is providing solutions in those areas where any other software fails and we are committed to continuing its development in that direction.

    ALLISON TRANSMISSION is the world’s largest manufacturer of fully automatic transmissions for medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicles and is a leader in hybrid propulsion systems for city buses. Allison Transmission’s products are specified by more than 300 of the world's leading vehicle manufacturers and are used in a wide range of market sectors including bus, fire, construction, distribution, defense, and specialty applications.

    Dr. Fuentes will be presenting a paper at the 2021 AGMA's Fall Technical Meeting

    This year, the AGMA's Fall Technical Meeting will be held in Chicago on November 2-3, 2021. Although some presentations will be pre-recorded because of continued Covid travel restrictions, most presentations will be in-person. The AGMA's Fall Technical Meeting brings together top researchers from across the globe who will provide the latest information on their peer-reviewed gear industry research.

    Dr. Fuentes will be attending the 2021 AGMA's Fall Technical Meeting and presenting the paper entitled "Investigation of the Effect of Application of Non-Conventional Root Profiles for Reduction of Bending Stresses in Helical Gear Drives" in Session 1 on Tuesday, November 2, 2021. Click <here> for more information. The abstract of this work is included here:

    Abstract:

    Studies of non-conventional root profiles have mainly used finite element models in which the load is applied at the highest point of single tooth contact. The adjacent pair of teeth, when they carry part of the load, cause compressive stresses on the root area. This study will provide the variation of the alternate and mean range normal stresses on the root surface in the longitudinal direction of the gear teeth for tooth root profiles based on Hermite, elliptical, and Bézier curves and their comparison in terms of the mentioned stresses with those obtained for conventional root profiles. Such variation will be obtained for two cycles of meshing by considering finite element models with five pairs of teeth so that the effect of load sharing between adjacent pairs of teeth is considered.

     

    The first RIT’s Gear Research Consortium Meeting exceeded expectations

    The first RIT’s Gear Research Consortium Meeting was held on June 3rd, 2021, via zoom, with 17 participants affiliated with seven different companies. This meeting, which intends to be held on the first Thursday of June every year, brings together consortium members, as well as collaborators and observers interested in learning about the latest developments and new features implemented in our software IGD – Integrated Gear Design. The developers of IGD introduced the new features of design and simulation available in the software as well as the results of the investigation of the effect of application of non-conventional root profiles for reduction of bending stress in helical gear drives. After that, members of the Consortium presented their companies as well as several examples of how IGD has contributed to improve their products and provide capabilities of design and simulation where any other software fails.

    During the second part of the meeting, the members of the consortium established the guidelines of future developments that will bring new unique capabilities of design and simulation into IGD. Thank you all for your participation and we are looking forward to another year of successful collaboration!

     

    IGD is on an upward trajectory for advanced gear design and simulation

    IGD – Integrated Gear Design – continues growing every day. IGD version 3.7 comprises more than 1.4 million lines of code distributed in 1,321 files. It provides solutions for advanced gear design and simulation of 22 different types of gear drives, based on 115 different geometries, that make use of 16 cutting tools, and simulated by the application of 6 different tools for analysis that includes TCA, FE modeling, optimization, geometry comparison, gerotor pump analysis, and reverse engineering.

    IGD has become the ultimate computational tool for the advanced design and simulation of gear drives. IGD includes a virtual gear generator of almost any type of gear. The virtual gear generator uses the geometry of the cutting tool and the kinematics of the manufacturing process to get the most accurate geometry of the gears. By using the freeform design module, surface modifications can be added and studied to localize the contact pattern and provide favorable functions of transmission errors that will contribute to reducing noise and vibration of the gear drive. The unique approach for tooth contact analysis based on the consideration of three pairs of contacting teeth allows detecting possible issues with the continuity of the process of meshing or loading sharing between consecutive pairs of teeth. Finite element models fully parametrized can be exported to main general-purpose computer programs (ABAQUS or ANSYS) for stress analysis. The finite element models may include shafts and bearings to determine errors of alignment under load that can be easily compensated by the surface modifications computed within IGD. Other simulation features include the simulation of noise and vibration excited by the loaded functions of transmission errors, variation of the meshing stiffness during the process of meshing, determination of friction power losses, efficiency, and heat generated, as well as the generation of solid models of the gears and gearset assembly for external gear simulation or 3D printing.

    IGD is currently being used by the members of the RIT’s Gear Research Consortium and developed to meet their needs of advanced gear design and simulation. Do not hesitate to contact us to learn more about IGD and our RIT’s Gear Research Consortium.

    RIT's Gear Research Consortium welcomes Allison Transmission

    RIT and the Gear Research Laboratory welcome Allison Transmission as a new member of the RIT's Gear Research Consortium. Allison Transmission is the world’s largest manufacturer of fully automatic transmissions for medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicles and is a leader in hybrid-propulsion systems for city buses. Allison Transmission’s products are specified by more than 300 of the world's leading vehicle manufacturers and are used in a wide range of market sectors including bus, fire, construction, distribution, defense, and specialty applications.

    Allison was founded in 1915 in Indianapolis, Indiana, where the company's global headquarters is still located. Allison Transmission has regional offices all over the world and manufacturing facilities in Indianapolis, Chennai, India, and Szentgotthárd, Hungary.

    We are very proud to have Allison Transmission as a member of the RIT’s Gear Research Consortium. With their collaboration and expertise, we are sure we are going to bring IGD to a completely new level of design, simulation, and manufacturing capabilities.

    EGILE joins the RIT's Gear Research Consortium

    RIT and the Gear Research Laboratory welcome EGILE and its HIGH PRECISION MECHANICS Division (DMP) as a new member of the RIT's Gear Research Consortium. EGILE is a company with 30 years of history, committed to creating impact through products and solutions of high value in sectors where extreme precision is a fundamental requirement. The high Precision Division of EGILE is composed of five business units, serving high-critical areas, such as the aerospace and security sectors, large scientific infrastructure and equipment, the packaging sector and thin sheet metal processing.

    The High Precision Mechanics Division of EGILE covers the complete cycle of high precision machining, from engineering and design, to manufacturing. They design, develop, and manufacture components for the aeronautic and security sector such us engines, aircraft transmission systems, landing gear components, and actuation systems for leading aeronautical companies, through three specialized business units: AEROTRANSMISSION, AEROENGINES, and AEROSYSTEMS. They also develop high-precision mechanical solutions for the scientific and aerospace sectors, through the EXTREME PRECISION unit, as well as complete, easy open-end conversion systems for the food metal container section (CAN TOOLING unit).

    EGILE and its High Precision Mechanics Division is located in Mendaro, Spain, in the heart of a territory with a long industrial tradition. In 2018, their turnover was around 24 M-Euros, exporting over 50% of his production. The company has more than 270 employees and invests 15% of the turnover in Research, Development, and Innovation (R+D+i). They are part of the Egile Corporation, a diversified industrial and technological group, with more than 350 employees.

    We are looking forward to having a very long and fruitful collaboration with EGILE. Their vision to apply leading-edge technologies to put in the market high-value products, services, and solutions has already placed them as a reference leading company in all their business areas. We are honored to have EGILE as a member of the RIT's Gear Research Consortium.

    Join us and learn about advanced design, simulation of meshing and stress analysis of gear drives

    The workshop "Advanced Design, Simulation & Stress Analysis of Gear Drives" will be held for the first time at RIT Campus in Rochester, NY, on June 24-26, 2019. This practical 3-day workshop will bring you up to speed on advanced gear design and simulation utilizing state-of-the-art computational tools for virtual generation of gears and application of tooth contact analysis (TCA) and finite element analysis (FEA). Topics include: application of micro-geometry modifications to avoid edge contact and absorb errors of alignment, free-form design of gear tooth surfaces, evaluation of the loaded function of transmission errors and mesh stiffness as the main cause of noise and vibration during operation, compensation of errors of alignment caused by shaft deflections, and advanced design and simulation of different types of gear drives.

    The workshop should be of interest for engineers and qualified technicians involved in the design, analysis, manufacture, or application of gear drives. Industries include automotive, wind-energy, aircraft, general manufacturing, and gear manufacturers. Members of the RIT's Gear Research Consortium can register free of charge! Members of AGMA will have a 10% discount on the individual registration. There are discounts for RIT alumni and employees as well as for a group registration from the same organization.

    For more information and to register, please visit www.rit.edu/kgcoe/cqas/geardrives. Download a brochure here.

    Dr. Fuentes selected as the KGCOE featured faculty for the RIT's 2017 faculty scholarship report

    Dr. Alfonso Fuentes Aznar has been selected as the KGCOE featured faculty in the RIT's Faculty Scholarship report of 2017. The  RIT's annual scholarship report is intended to acknowledge the ever-growing body of work produced by the RIT faculty in a wide range of fields and formats. The 2017 faculty scholarship report is the eighth annual review highlighting RIT faculty publications, scholarly presentations, exhibits, performances, and fellowships for the year 2017. The featured faculty members in the RIT's scholarship report exemplify the teacher/scholar ideal and are models to their students and colleagues.

    Acess the whole article by clicking here.