Gears have been used in machines for more than a thousand years, with prototypical gears being used as early as 700 AD. But with the advancement of other technologies, could gears and gear manufacturing ever become obsolete?
It’s hard to guess exactly how technology is going to develop in the future, so it’s irresponsible to respond with absolute certainty, but for the foreseeable future, it’s highly unlikely that gears will become obsolete—or even see a decline in application.
A Simple Machine
Gears are, at their core, a simple machine. They’re an application of basic mechanical principles, rather than being a technological advancement, per se. Gears are 85-90 percent efficient at translating rotational motion and force, and there aren’t currently any plans to engineer something that can replace them in the thousands of machine types that rely on them to continue operating.
Specific Modes of Obsolescence
There are, however, a handful of applications where gears could feasibly be replaced by advanced machinery. For example, when trying to improve the efficiency of power transmission, high-powered magnets may be able to convey force faster and more efficiently. These specific applications won’t have an impact on gear use overall because gears are used for such a variety of purposes.
Gear Evolution
One way our modern gears may become obsolete is if they are replaced by higher-quality, more efficient gears. Engineers have been experimenting with new types of materials to make gears stronger and cheaper, and manufacturers have been able to steadily increase precision over the years, creating smaller and larger gears as their production machinery allows.
Gears may become obsolete in a handful of very specific applications, and our modern gears may be replaced by ones made of higher-quality materials, but gears aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. If you’re ready to place your next gear order, contact Federal Gear today!