Robotics & Automation News

Market trends and business perspectives

harmonic

Cone Drive launches Harmonic Solutions in Asia

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cone drive Harmonic Gear 2

Cone Drive, a precision motion control technology provider, is expanding the reach of its new Harmonic Solutions product range into the Asia market at the Shanghai International Modern Industrial Intelligent Equipment Exhibition (SIA) in May 2017.

The Asia launch follows commercial launches in the US at the International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) in September 2016 and Europe at Motek in October 2016.

Having launched its product range in the US and Europe, Cone Drive is to enter the market in Asia which represents 85 per cent of the global harmonic market.

Cone Drive says the high quality engineering and manufacturing standards of its Harmonic Solutions are ready to meet the Asian market’s demands by providing engineered solutions for applications in robotics, aerospace, metrology, defense, medical, machine tooling industries, and more.  [Read more…] about Cone Drive launches Harmonic Solutions in Asia

This time, it’s rocket science: Harmonic Drive gears used in space rover project

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Space rover
Harmonic Drive’s strain wave gears are used on spacecraft

Graham Mackrell, managing director of precision gearing specialist Harmonic Drive UK, explains why its strain wave gears have been the top choice in space for over 40 years

Anything that goes into space is seen as the pinnacle of human creation. Astronauts are highly trained and are at the peak of physical fitness, space shuttles are crafted by large teams of expert engineers and all the technology used is so high-tech it’s as if it belongs to science fiction.

Many decades ago, the first Harmonic Drive gears were sent into space during the Apollo 15 mission. Even from the beginnings of the space race, the expectations for the technology used were high.

The equipment used in space had to be reliable, compact and lightweight and given the increasing demands on equipment in today’s space missions, it must also now be highly accurate with zero backlash and have high torque capacity.

When aerospace engineers were recently designing a new space rover, they looked to Harmonic Drive gears for reliability. Due to the obvious difficulties of performing repairs in space, a high mean time between equipment failures is a high priority. [Read more…] about This time, it’s rocket science: Harmonic Drive gears used in space rover project

Redesigning the gear: A closer look at Harmonic Drive’s new WavePlus technology

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harmonic drive Waveplus

Graham Mackrell, managing director of precision gearing expert Harmonic Drive UK, explains WavePlus technology, an innovative development in strain wave gearing

Sometimes, you only need one small innovation to make something revolutionary.

Sliced bread, for example, simply took a stroke of inspiration for Otto Rohwedder to combine automatic bread wrapping equipment with cutting functionality.

The strain wave gear has been the pinnacle of precision gearing since the technology was first developed in 1957 by renowned inventor and founder of Harmonic Drive, Walton Musser.

Consisting of just three crucial components – the wave generator, flexspline and the circular spline – and ensuring zero backlash as well as a high gear reduction ratio, strain wave gears have long been the standard for critical applications.  [Read more…] about Redesigning the gear: A closer look at Harmonic Drive’s new WavePlus technology

Thinking about the future? Top tips for a career in robotics

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Precision gearing specialist Harmonic Drive UK has released a one-page guide giving advice for those interested in a career in robotics.

The guide details the different routes that people can take to work in the sector, routes that depart from traditional robot manufacturing.

Given the engineering skills shortage, there are many jobs available in various areas of the robotics industry.  [Read more…] about Thinking about the future? Top tips for a career in robotics

Don’t let harmonics get you down: Top tips for choosing the right harmonic filter

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John Mitchell, global business development manager of supply, repair and field service specialist, CP Automation, shares his top tips for companies that want to commission or replace harmonic filters

In 1976, it was discovered that the bacteria causing Legionnaires disease, an atypical strain of pneumonia, had always been present in water, but it was the precise temperature of the water in heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems that facilitated the bacteria’s maximum reproduction levels. This is just one example of the unintended consequences of technology.

A similar and more recent story comes from the world of industry and features the growing problem of harmonic currents and utility level voltage distortion, as a result an increasing number of non-linear loads in industrial and commercial environments.  [Read more…] about Don’t let harmonics get you down: Top tips for choosing the right harmonic filter

Harmonic Drive launches new gearbox to ‘usher in a new age of robotics’

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harmonic-drive-gears

New gearbox range from Harmonic Drive aimed at “growing demand for compactness” and collaborative robotics 

High precision gearing specialist, Harmonic Drive UK, has launched CSF-2UP, a new gearbox range designed for medical technology, robotics and measuring-instrument applications.

Expected to be worth $7.85 billion by 2020, according to MarketsandMarkets, the smart and collaborative robotics sector is particularly dependent on compact and ultra lightweight gears.

The CSF-2UP gearboxes form part of the CSF Series, a range characterised by its very short length and low weight. The new gearbox range is available in three sizes, with gear ratios of 30, 50 and 100 at a repeatable peak torque from 1.8 to 28 Nm.  [Read more…] about Harmonic Drive launches new gearbox to ‘usher in a new age of robotics’