Schaeffler developer its fashioned pressure wave gearboxes particularly for humanoid robots. | Supply: Schaeffler
Schaeffler Applied sciences AG is increasing its humanoid robotics product portfolio with its newest fashioned pressure wave gearboxes. The corporate mentioned it has concluded the in depth validation testing of the gearboxes and will probably be prepared to start out manufacturing them at scale in 2027.
Pressure wave gearboxes are key parts in actuators, which make up round half of the whole prices of producing a humanoid robotic. They will transmit actions exactly and with a excessive torque capability and a excessive gear discount ratio in compact areas.
Pressure wave gearboxes additionally provide excessive accuracy and stiffness. These capabilities assist fulfill the central necessities of humanoid joints, mentioned the Herzogenaurach, Germany-based firm.
“Schaeffler will take a number one position available in the market for humanoid robots,” mentioned David Kehr, president of humanoid robotics at Schaeffler. “We deploy humanoids alongside our complete international worth chain and subsequently have first-hand data of the necessities of this know-how and might develop key parts based mostly on our know-how.”
“Utilizing this data together with our many years of producing expertise and our automotive DNA, we are able to create options geared towards high quality, economic system, and scalability,” he added. “The fashioned pressure wave gearbox is one other instance of how we’re readying key robotic parts for industrial high-volume mass manufacturing.”
Schaeffler to make the most of new forming know-how for manufacturing
Usually, producers use precision machining to create pressure wave gearboxes. Nonetheless, this methodology is time-consuming and capital-intensive. Schaeffler believes it might turn out to be a significant bottleneck within the scaling of humanoid robots.
As a substitute, Schaeffler is creating its pressure wave gearboxes with a forming know-how. Not like standard machining, wherein high-precision gear geometries are created by way of materials elimination, this forming course of will get the element into the specified geometrical form in seconds by way of the usage of excessive urgent forces.
The fashioned pressure wave gearboxes obtain comparable torques and efficiencies to these achieved by conventionally manufactured parts, Schaeffler claimed.
The corporate mentioned this methodology permits manufacturing steps for key parts that may be accomplished in seconds as an alternative of minutes. On the similar time, it cuts manufacturing prices by greater than 25% and materials consumption by greater than 75%. Schaeffler plans to start out manufacturing in Germany and later roll it out to different areas.
Schaeffler isn’t any stranger to creating pressure wave gearboxes, having expertise with the know-how within the automotive business. The corporate, whose U.S. headquarters are in Fort Mill, S.C., famous that it has already provided greater than 2 million fashioned pressure wave gearboxes to all main markets on this planet over the previous 10 years. It mentioned it hopes to switch this manufacturing experience to humanoid robots.
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