Software Geared for Driveline and Gearbox Design and Optimization

By Anthony J. Lockwood

Images courtesy of Romax Technology.

Romax Technology (Nottingham, UK), a specialist in gearbox, bearing, and driveline engineering, has launched a new concept design software package that it says will dramatically increase speed, quality, creativity, and innovation for designers of gearboxes and drivelines. Called Concept, the software is said to provide an extremely robust and comprehensive stand-alone concept engineering environment. The software is described as suitable for any gear, shaft, and bearing system application, such as power tools, mining equipment, complex automotive automatic transmissions, and wind turbine gearboxes.

Concept reportedly has been developed in collaboration with engineers in large ground vehicle, wind energy, and industrial equipment companies worldwide. It offers a drag-and-drop design environment said to enable the rapid creation of concept models. Its features include semi-automated sizing, definition, and rating of gears, shafts, and bearings coupled with 3D visualisation capabilities that allow key parameters to be evaluated and manipulated. Concept also allows users to bring bearing forces based on predicted behavior into the design of the gearbox housing.

Concept uses Romax’s analytical capabilities to enable initial NVH (noise, vibration, harshness) assessments and preliminary mechanical design assessments of alternative concepts. The new product, the company says, delivers on the Romax vision of streamlining the end-to-end planning to manufacture process with open, easy to use software solutions.

Early decisions can be crucial in shaping product performance, robustness and durability, as well as minimizing manufacturing and operating costs, said Jamie Pears, Romax Technology Product Manager, in a press statement. However, this stage of development can be expensive and time consuming too, meaning that many engineered products fail to reach their full potential. ]Concept] helps users to pull forward new concepts into robust and highly optimized designs capable of subsequent detailed development. It not only saves development time and costs but also improves the quality and robustness of the finished product.

In related news, the company announced significant new capability in the 14.5 releases of its flagship products for detailed design and analysis, RomaxDesigner for gearbox, shaft, and bearing systems design and simulation, and RomaxWIND, an implementation of RomaxDesigner for designing and simulating wind turbine gearboxes and drivetrains. This enhanced capability, which is said to provide for improved manufacturability of end products, includes a comprehensive suite of tools that enables the gear manufacturing process to be considered as part of gear design and analysis activities. RomaxWIND is said to be the only engineering software to be awarded the GL certification for its gear and shaft calculation method.

Image courtesy of Romax Technology.

Concept can operate as a stand-alone solution or it can be used in conjunction with other CAD packages. All three products—Romax Concept, RomaxDesigner R14.5, and RomaxWIND R14.5—will be available in late November, according to the company. For more details on Concept, visit Romax.

Go here for more details on RomaxDesigner.

Go here for more details on RomaxWIND.

Webinar rebroadcast: An Introduction to NVH in RomaxDesigner.

Webinar rebroadcast: Streamlined Analysis And Testing Via Accelerated Duty Cycle Generation.

Download the RomaxWIND brochure.

See why DE’s editors selected Romax Concept as their Pick of the Week.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.