How to make human traffic robots "more powerful"? Let's see what he says?

The "OFweek 2024 (13th) China Robot Industry Conference" hosted by OFweek, a Chinese high-tech portal, and organized by OFweek Robotics was successfully held in Shenzhen from April 18 to 19. At the "Technology Frontier Trends" special session held on the first day, Yu Yunqing, chairman of Hubei Siwei Transmission Co., Ltd., delivered a keynote speech entitled "Making Humanoid Robots More Powerful".

Yu Yunqing, Chairman of Hubei Siwei Transmission Co., Ltd.

At present, humanoid robots are regarded as the ultimate form of future robots. However, to make humanoid robots "more powerful", the key lies in breaking through the technical bottleneck of core components. As the "heart" of the robot, the performance of the precision reducer directly determines the robot's motion accuracy, load-bearing capacity and service life. Hubei Siweit Transmission has become the key force to enable humanoid robots to be "more powerful" with its 40 years of technical accumulation in the field of reducers.

Precision manufacturing, exquisite craftsmanship

The reason why SVT occupies a leading position in the field of reducers is inseparable from its exquisite manufacturing technology.

In 2014, the company introduced China's first gear grinding machine from Zurich, Switzerland, and then successively introduced more than 40 world-class manufacturing equipment including Swiss Reishauer gear grinding machines, German coordinate grinders, and Japanese precision grinders to ensure that every precision component of the reducer can achieve the highest processing accuracy. Sweit also has advanced testing equipment such as German three-coordinate measuring machines and gear testers . From raw materials to final products, they have all undergone strict quality control.

The introduction of these top-notch equipment not only improves the manufacturing accuracy of SWEIT reducers, but also lays the foundation for SWEIT to create a rare automated production line in the industry, ensuring the provision of high-quality products to customers.

Innovation and breakthrough, leading the way

Based on precision manufacturing, SVT has developed multiple series of high-performance reducer products that meet the needs of humanoid robots through continuous innovation and breakthroughs. Among them, the BK, BZ, and ZKB series are the world's exclusive first series, with high performance and high overload characteristics. They can be directly connected to servo motors or synchronous pulley input drive reducers, and are regarded as the "ace" products of humanoid robot precision reducers.

BK/BZ series is a single-stage high-torque, high-precision, high-speed ratio cycloid reducer independently developed by SVT. Compared with the same type of harmonic reducer, it not only has greater torque and longer service life, but also has stronger rigidity and impact resistance. These characteristics just meet the urgent needs of humanoid robots for high torque output, high rigidity and high reliability of joint components.

At present, SVT Transmission has developed 6 product series (S series, SZ series, K series, BK/BZ series, ZKB series), nearly 400 varieties and specifications, and a complete cycloid RV reducer matrix.

Among them, the S-series of SWEET is benchmarked against the E-series of Nabo; the K-series of SWEET is benchmarked against the C-series of Nabo; and the SZ-series of SWEET is benchmarked against the N-series of Nabo.

Core equipment, national heavy weapon

As a national key "specialized, precise and innovative" enterprise, SWT not only has its own core technical team, but also actively participates in the research and development of many major national technical equipment.

Among them, the most noteworthy is the development of the 45T (RV) reducer. This reducer is a major national equipment used in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project. Its output torque is as high as 459,000 N.m, and the speed ratio is 1:9225. It has been accepted by the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the rotation error is ≤3 arc minutes. It will be delivered in May 2023 and used in more than 70 industries at the same time.

In addition to participating in major national scientific and technological projects, SWEIT has also led or participated in the formulation of a number of industry and national standards. It is the main force of "domestic substitution" and its products can be widely used in various fields such as intelligent manufacturing, industrial automation , aerospace, etc.

Comprehensive layout, moving towards the future

SWEIT has customers all over the world, and its products are used in more than 70 industries. Among them, 2 of the world's top customers and 20 domestic industry leaders are using SWEIT reducers.

Despite the impressive achievements, SWEIT and many other domestic advanced manufacturing companies still face some challenges that need to be addressed urgently.

Due to the complex structure of the reducer and the extremely high requirements of the processing technology on the equipment, even though SWEIT has long insisted on independent research and development, some performance indicators have been at the forefront of the world and can achieve "domestic substitution". However, how to ensure continuous equipment upgrades in the future and maintain technological leadership is still an issue that SWEIT must carefully consider.

In addition, although SWEIT has captured a certain market share in China, the "big cake" of reducers is still in the hands of international big manufacturers. For example, the annual sales of SEW reducers in China is no less than 15 billion to 20 billion. Therefore, if Chinese manufacturers want to truly go global, they still have a long way to go.

Faced with challenges, SWEIT did not stop, but continued to delve deeper into the reducer technology roadmap and move forward.

The development of robotics technology requires the concerted efforts of upstream and downstream industrial chains. As a core component supplier, SWEIT Transmission will continue to leverage its own advantages, promote the application of mechatronics technology in reducer products, improve the integration of humanoid robot joint components, give humanoid robots "more powerful" wings, and promote intelligent manufacturing to a higher level.