Looking at the Small Module Gears from the Status of Precision Reducer

I. Introduction

Precision reducer is a kind of precision transmission machine, its purpose is to reduce the speed and increase the torque. High transmission ratio, wide range, high precision, large load capacity, high efficiency, small size, light weight, smooth transmission, low noise, transmission of movement to sealed space, high output stiffness, low backlash, etc. Applied in space technology, energy, electronics industry, petrochemical industry, military industry, robotics, instrumentation, textile machinery, printing machinery, packaging machinery, lifting and transport machinery, medical equipment, food processing machinery and other industries.

There are many types of precision reducers, such as precision parallel shaft gear reducer, precision worm gear reducer, precision planetary gear reducer, harmonic reducer, robot joint special RV reducer and so on. Among them, precision planetary gear reducers, harmonic reducers, and robot joint-dedicated RV reducers are the most widely used among industrial robots.

Second, the development of precision reducer - world-renowned precision reducer brand and manufacturer

1) Nabtesco Nabtesco

The Nabtesco products in Nabtesco's products have a global market share of 60% on precision reducers for industrial robot joints. Especially for medium/heavy duty robots, the market share for RV reducers is as high as 90%. Robotics Since 1985, RV reducers have had more than three million actual achievements in the robot manufacturing industry and are the joint industrial standards for modern industrial robots. The new hollow shaft and high rigidity and high torque fully meet the needs of market applications.

In addition to being used in industrial articulated robots, RV reducers are also used in automatic tool magazines of CNC machine tools and precision turntables of machine tools. Automatic tool changers use RV reducers and AR series servo actuators to achieve efficient automatic tool change. It can satisfy the automatic exchange of up to 150 kinds of 50 degree taper tools. The large integrated angular bearings used in precision reducers allow the turntable and headstock/tailstock to be mounted directly on the output flange of a balanced or unbalanced component. The RD-C Hollow Shaft Reducer has a hollow hole up to 5 inches for easy cable penetration and direct mounting.

2) Sumitomo Japan

The precision control reducer produced by Sumitomo Corporation utilizes the advantages of high-strength, impact-resistant cycloidal speed reducers, further pursuing precise control of low clearance, and can be mounted on a modular reducer in customer machines. By combining with a servo motor, positioning can be performed with high accuracy. It is most suitable for equipment such as machining machinery, industrial robots, and factory automation, where emphasis is placed on stopping precision and rigidity. According to use, it is divided into FC-A, F1C-A and F2C-T series.

3) Harmonics

Harmonic Harmonic Reducer Co., Ltd. is the world's first professional company specializing in the development, design, production and sales of harmonic transmission and special transmission technologies. It is mainly used in various types of light industrial robots/manipulators, printing/paper making machinery, and medical machinery. , Measurement/analysis/testing machines, large-scale telescopes, precision packaging machinery, semiconductor manufacturing equipment, FPD manufacturing equipment, communication devices, aerospace machines, numerical control machine tools, and radars.

The company's CSF series of component-harmonic components and HPG series-harmonic planets are widely used in industrial robots. In particular, harmonic components are applied to light-loaded joints of industrial robots. The products have features such as small structure, light weight, large reduction ratio, smooth transmission, and high positioning accuracy.

4) Toho Corporation I KO

IKO is a world-class professional manufacturer of precision worktables and linear guides. Its products are widely used in the field of ultra-precision machinery and lathes, various precision measuring instruments, processing equipment and precision parts production lines, which can be described as cutting-edge microelectronics technology, motors and speed reduction. One of the founders of the perfect combination of organs. The company's precision positioning table SA series XY axis positioning accuracy of 0.1μm. There are also AT, TM, and TC series products, which are mainly used in wafer inspection stations, machine tool positioning shafts, and precise positioning of images.

5) Ori ental motor

Japan's Orientalmotor is one of the ancestors of the world's miniature geared motors. Its conventional miniature AC/DC geared motors and high-precision products have been in the world's leading position. The precision rotary table developed by the company uses a large-diameter hollow rotating transmission device and a closed-loop stepper motor and reducer to form a precision transmission device to meet the requirements of high-precision indexing mechanism. It is a typical electromechanical integration mechanism used in machine tool transfer. Towers, high precision indexing heads and other places.

6) Maxon motor company, Germany

Maxon motor company is the world's leading supplier of high precision drive systems with power below 500W. Its standard component products continue to expand, including: Brushless and brushless DC motors with hollow core windings up to 500W, brushless disc motors up to 90W, planetary gearboxes, spur gearboxes, special gearboxes, sensors, servo amplifiers , position controllers, high-tech CIM and MIM components, custom driver solutions.

The Maxon drive system is used in a wide range of areas where high precision and reliability are required: Medical technology, industrial automation and robotics, inspection technology, communications, security technology, automotive industry, aerospace, consumer applications.

7) Neugart, Germany

German Neugart Company is a world-class manufacturer specializing in reducer. Founded in 1928, the company started production of precision gears for the use of Swiss timepieces and precision instruments. In 1975, it began producing planetary speed reducers. Due to the good development prospects of China's transmission industry, Neugart entered the Chinese market in 1996 and became one of the earliest German planetary reducer manufacturers to enter China. In October 2004, Newcaster Planetary Reducer was established in Shenyang (Shenyang). Limited company.

8) Electricity production Shi mpo

Japan SHIMPO is a company that is engaged in the development, production and sales of precision reducers and transmissions under the Japan Electric Power Corporation. It is located in Beijing, Qingdao, Shenzhen, Fuzhou, Wuhan, Xi'an, Shenyang, Chongqing, Harbin, Suzhou, Pinghu and Shanghai. Office, factory in Pinghu, Zhejiang.

The company's VRS, VRL, and VRB series are used in the robot industry, and its domestic market share is quite high.

9) Taiwan APEX

Taiwan is widely used in the production of precision planetary gear reducer manufacturers, Taiwan's elite technology group's precision machinery business. The company's precision planetary gear reducer is used in the robot industry. Occupy a large part of the domestic high-end market.

Third, the small module gear share in the precision reducer

With the development of industrial automation, the application of precision reducers in the market is becoming more and more common. It is mainly used in industrial robots, robot arms, printing machinery, medical machinery, measurement, testing machines, precision packaging machinery, semiconductor manufacturing equipment, and communication devices. Aerospace machines, CNC machine tools, etc. Precision reducers are found in every corner of the industry and are the core components of actuators. In the precision retarder, small module gears also accounted for a lot of share. For example, in the RV reducers 20E, 40E, 80E, the first segment of the planet uses a gear module of 2. 0m, 1. 75m, 1. 5m, 1. 25m four, reasonable matching according to speed ratio and load. In the harmonic reducer, the general module is less than 0. 4m, using a special tooth shape. In the precision planetary reducer, the small module gears involved are 0. 4m~2.0m, among which there are some non-standard modules in APEX and shimpo design, such as 0. 85m, 1.1m, 1.4m, etc.

In the above-mentioned precision reducer, there is a "diamond" of a small module gear, and it can be seen that the small module gear plays an important role in the precision reducer. Foreign companies have developed high-end precision reducers based on the development of the small module gear industry. It can be said that the development of precision reducers is an inevitable result of the development of small module gears. To develop the preconditions for precision reducers, we must first develop small module gears. Therefore, the opportunities for the development of the small module gear industry can be imagined.

Fourth, opportunities and challenges

However, although the opportunity is good, the development of our small module gear industry needs to solve the following problems:

1) The lack of basic research and basic data

The lack of basic research on the fatigue limit stress of gear materials, metallurgical structure maps, and lack of basic research on new tooth profile research, load spectrum testing, and processing technology research make the product design and manufacturing lack data support. In addition, professional software development and application lags behind, and multidisciplinary comprehensive design techniques and means are behind.

2) The backwardness of technological innovation and experimental test platforms

Lack of industry-oriented gear common technology and cutting-edge technology research and development, transformation of important scientific and technological achievements and engineering application research innovation platform; lack of service platform for the industry to provide product testing and testing, lack of gear and transmission design, manufacturing improvement and performance improvement Evaluation service system. In many research directions such as noise control of small module gear transmission, design and processing of high speed small module gears, tooth profile modification of small module gears, and simulation simulation system, the existing domestic related literature and research results are a bit less.

3) Unreasonable industrial structure and fierce market competition

The distribution of high and low-end products in the industry is extremely abnormal, with excess production of low-end products and lack of high-end products. The products in the low-end market are fiercely competitive, and the peers are pushing down the price of each other, making it difficult for many small businesses to form independent innovation capabilities and are on the verge of survival.

4) Poor quality stability, equipment depends on imports

The stability of domestic equipment quality needs to be improved, and high-precision gear processing equipment still relies on imported equipment. Management can not keep up with international companies, leading to the lack of high-precision equipment, the lack of stability in the quality of products produced, and the lack of competitiveness in the international market.

Overall, the progress of the development and renewal of domestic gearboxes and foreign reducer series products has been slow in recent years, and the gap with foreign counterparts in this area has widened. In particular, the small module gear reducer is not suitable for the needs of the market in the field of high-precision end-use applications. For a long time, most of the self-manufactured deceleration transmission equipment in China is a general-purpose product. People tend to locate this type of equipment in low-end product. With the acceleration of economic globalization, the giants of transmission equipment manufacturing in countries such as Germany, France, and Japan have taken over China and occupied the middle and high-end market of China's reducer. Based on this, they promote mergers and acquisitions and integration among leading companies in the industry and form a Certain brand groups with market influence, large scale and strength, and several group companies with strong product R&D and technical support capabilities can maintain certain advantages and continue to develop in competition with foreign counterparts. . Therefore, the domestic small module gear reducer in the automation and robot application, wants to compete with the foreign advanced reducer brand in the domestic market, even beyond, has a long way to go, but the future is bright.