In the field of robotics, the reducer plays a vital role, which largely determines the motion accuracy and load capacity of the robot. As one of the core components of the robot, the reducer accounts for about 35% of the total cost of the robot, which not only accounts for the highest proportion of cost, but also has the greatest difficulty in research and development.
According to the goal of the "Robot Industry Development Plan (2016-2020)", China has made a major breakthrough in the research and development of core components such as precision reducers for robots. The performance, accuracy and reliability of these parts have reached or approached the level of similar foreign products, and have been applied in batches in industrial robots with six axes and above.
At present, the market share of domestic precision reducers has reached more than 50%, and through a series of preferential fiscal and tax policies to encourage enterprises to further develop and produce precision reducers. Humanoid robots
The reducer is an important mechanical device, its function is to mesh the gears with fewer teeth on the input shaft and the large gears with more teeth on the output shaft, so as to realize the conversion of high-speed power into lower output speed, increased torque and improved bearing capacity.
There are many types of precision reducers, mainly including harmonic reducers, RV reducers, precision planetary reducers, cycloid reducers and filter reducers.
Among them, RV reducers and harmonic reducers account for about 40% of the sales volume in the market, while precision planetary reducers, cycloidal pin wheel reducers and filter reducers together occupy about 20% of the market share.
For humanoid robots, the precision reducer is a key component of the rotary actuator, which plays an important role in matching the speed and transmitting torque as an intermediate device connecting the motor and the actuator.
RV reducer, also known as rotary vector reducer, is one of the most widely used precision reducers in industrial robots.
It combines the characteristics of traditional cycloidal pinwheels and planetary gear transmissions to form a unique transmission device.
RV reducers have a wide range of transmission ratios, stable accuracy, high fatigue strength, and excellent rigidity and torque carrying capacity, so they are often placed in the base of the robot, boom, shoulder and other positions that bear heavy loads.
RV reducers are favored for their excellent performance and wide adaptability, and have become one of the most widely used precision reducers.
The internal structure of Nabtesco RV reducer:
Data**: At present, most of the market for RV reducers in China is still occupied by foreign manufacturers, and there is a broad space for domestic substitution.
In terms of market structure, Japanese companies such as Harmony Neck, Nabtesco and Sumitomo dominate the field, with a combined market share of about 85%.
Among them, Nabtesco, as the inventor of the RV reducer, occupies up to 60% of the global industrial robot reducer market, especially in the RV reducer segment, which accounts for about 80%.
The four major families in the industrial robot industry also need to purchase Nabtesco reducers to meet their own needs.
Japan's Harmony is the world's first company involved in the R&D and production of harmonic reducers, and its share in the reducer market ranks second, accounting for about 15% of the market share.
The main head manufacturers of domestic RV reducers include Shuanghuan Transmission, Zhuhai Pegasus, Zhongda De, Nantong Zhenkang, etc.
2022 China RV reducer market share:
Different from the RV reducer, the harmonic reducer is mainly composed of three parts: the wave generator, the flexible wheel and the rigid wheel. The manufacturing technology of harmonic reducer is derived from the principle of harmonic transmission, and its working principle is to generate fluctuations through the periodic deformation of the flexible wheel, and then realize the internal meshing with less tooth difference between the rigid gear teeth and the flexible gear teeth. This unique meshing method allows the harmonic reducer to efficiently transmit motion and power.
When the bearing of the harmonic unit produces a specific harmonic motion, it will drive the flexible wheel that matches it to also produce the corresponding harmonic motion. Through this unique mechanism, the harmonic reducer can realize the variable speed requirements of large transmission ratios and meet various application scenarios with high precision and high torque.
With its unique advantages, such as large single-stage transmission ratio, small size, light weight, high motion accuracy, etc., and can operate stably in confined spaces and working environments with dielectric radiation, harmonic reducers are widely used in fields with strict requirements for high precision and high torque density.
In the upper body of humanoid robots, especially in the small arms, hands and wrists and other positions that require fine operation, harmonic reducers will be widely used.
The main competitors in the global harmonic reducer market include well-known companies such as Harmony Naco, Japan Xinbao, Green Harmonic and Zhongji Kemei. With its leading technology and patents, Harmanaco has created a strong position in the global market by creating a wide range of products with long service life, low failure rates.
At the same time, the number of harmonic reducer manufacturers in China has exceeded 30, among which green harmonic leads the domestic substitution, and the main layout manufacturers also include rifle harmonics, double-ring transmission and Han's transmission.
In recent years, with the continuous progress of domestic technology and the improvement of product quality, these domestic manufacturers have gradually entered the first chain of downstream customers, and their market share is also increasing year by year.
High precision harmonic reducer:
As a widely used industrial automation product, double-ring drive planetary reducer is widely used for its small size, light weight, strong bearing capacity, long life, stable operation and low noise.
It can effectively reduce the speed of the motor and increase the output torque at the same time, so it is often used as a key supporting component in lifting, excavation, transportation, construction and other industries.
Although harmonic reducers with large reduction ratios have significant effects in torque amplification, thereby reducing the requirements for motor torque, their high cost and low reverse drive transparency limit their application.
For precise force control, it needs to be used in conjunction with a torque sensor, which makes it unsuitable for collimating actuators. In contrast, collimated drive actuators are more commonly equipped with planetary reducers with small reduction ratios and cycloidal pinwheel reducers.
The core structure of the planetary reducer is composed of planetary gear, sun gear and ring gear, and its single-stage reduction ratio is usually between 3-10. In addition, the planetary reducer also has high rigidity and high precision (1 can be achieved in a single stage'It is known for its high transmission efficiency and high torque-to-volume ratio.
According to the statistics of QY Research, the major players in the global precision planetary reducer market in 2022 include Japan's Xinbao, Newcatel and Wittenstein. In the Chinese market, the main manufacturers of precision planetary reducers are Japan's Xinbao, Kefeng Intelligent and Newstdart.
Overall, in the past five years, domestic reducer manufacturers have made significant progress, and the technical level has continued to improve. Some manufacturers have successfully achieved mass production and are gradually bringing their products to market. Major manufacturers are also increasing their investment in reducers in the field of robots, so as to make significant progress in the localization of precision reducers.
With Industry 4With the in-depth promotion of 0, the downstream industry of reducer has shown a strong growth momentum. Industrial robots, automation equipment, machine tools, medical equipment, service robots and semiconductors and other industries have achieved a rapid growth of more than 30, which fully reflects the wide application and indispensable role of reducers in these fields.
According to Miri Rui Industry**, the reducer industry will maintain a stable growth trend of more than 15%. In the long run, benefiting from the rapid development of downstream industrial robots, humanoid robots and semiconductor industries, the reducer industry will usher in a broader market space.
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