Gearbox - a key component of robots

Release Time：

2025-04-23

The reducer is an important component for improving the accuracy and torque of the joint operation of a robotic arm, mainly composed of transmission parts (gears or worms), shafts, bearings, housings, and their accessories.

Gearbox - a key component of robots
What is a gearbox?

Usually, gearboxes can be divided into three basic structures: ① gear, shaft, and bearing combination; ② Box body; ③ Gearbox accessories.

What is the function of a gearbox?

When the power output of the engine cannot directly meet the low-speed working requirements, the gearbox can play a role in matching the speed and transmitting torque between the prime mover and the working machine or actuator, thereby achieving the effect of reducing speed and increasing torque.

Taking robot applications as an example, the reducer can make the servo motor operate at an appropriate speed, accurately reducing the speed to the required speed of each part of the robot, improving the rigidity of the robot while outputting greater torque.

Gearboxes are also divided into different types

The commonly used types of reducers are

RV gearbox

Harmonic Drive

planetary reducer

Cycloid pinwheel reducer, etc

planetary reducer

Planetary reducers can be divided into planetary gears, sun gears, internal gear rings, and planetary carriers. The planetary gears rotate around the sun gear, and the specific structure can refer to Figure 3.

The planetary gearbox can achieve power splitting and has the characteristic of multi tooth meshing for exclusive use. Planetary reducers have a relatively small volume, light weight, but high load-bearing capacity. In addition, they have the advantages of long service life and smooth operation, and are commonly used in industries such as lifting, excavation, and construction.

Harmonic Drive

Harmonic reducer consists of three basic components: wave generator, flexible gear, and rigid gear. It is a gear transmission that relies on the wave generator to assemble flexible bearings to produce controllable elastic deformation of the flexible gear, and meshes with the rigid gear to transmit motion and power. It has been increasingly widely used in energy electronic equipment, mining metallurgy, transportation, lifting machinery, petrochemical machinery, and medical equipment, especially in high dynamic performance servo systems, where the use of harmonic gear transmission further demonstrates its superiority.

The advantages of harmonic reducers include high transmission speed ratio, high load-bearing capacity, high transmission accuracy, high transmission efficiency, simple structure, small size, light weight, and the ability to transmit motion to enclosed spaces; The disadvantage is that flexible wheels are prone to fatigue damage, have high rotational inertia and starting torque, and are difficult to manufacture with complex process flow.