New Software from SMT

MASTA 4.5.1. Models complete transmissions and includes 3-1 Stress Ananlysis

Nottingham based Smart Manufacturing Technology (SMT) recently launched MASTA 4.5.1. The software, which enables users to conduct fully integrated system analysis of mechanical transmissions, underwent intensive evaluation by the Design Unit at Newcastle University, U.K.

The Design Unit is widely recognized as an authority in gear design and manufacturing technology and has produced the DUGates program, which includes a 3-D analysis of a gear pair, enabling accurate prediction of root stresses and transmission error.

“The new MASTA software provides a 3-D gear stress analysis module whilst taking into account system deformations, and should therefore bring us closer to predicting the operating conditions on gears,” says Dr. Brian Shaw, director of Newcastle University Design Unit. “The MASTA software appears very powerful, and we enjoyed working with SMT to validate the gear stressing routines.”

MASTA can be used to model the full transmission system including bearings, shafts, gears and housings. “This integrated approach has made the software extremely popular,” commented Dave Beedan, SMT’s Commercial Manager.

This latest version of MASTA software enables engineers to design mechanical transmissions while taking account of the gear manufacturing processes to be used. They can now also conduct full 3-D, finite element-based analysis of the gear teeth. These features will significantly reduce the design and manufacturing development times and associated costs.

The gear manufacturing simulation modules gives manufacturing engineers a predictive tool to assess the requirements for gear manufacturing processes such as hobbing, shaving, shaping and grinding. “During gearbox development a lot of time is spent solving gear manufacturing issues,” says SMT director Dr. Changxiu Zhou. “Our software now allows most of these problems to be solved before metal is cut, saving our customers large amounts of time and money”. She concluded, “This technology has been driven by demands from our customers to reduce the process development phase so they can get their products into the marketplace faster and more economically.”

The Design Unit’s evaluation of the MASTA 3-D gear analysis module went beyond the commonly used gear standards such as ISO 6336 and AGMA 2001 to give a full 3-D stress analysis, as Dr Shaw explained “Accurate prediction of root and contact stresses for gears with high helix angles and contacts ratios is becoming ever more necessary.”