Precision Gears for Robotics: Solutions for Industrial Robots, Cobots, and Humanoid Robots
For over 40 years, we have been developing precision gearboxes and drive solutions for robotics. As a development and design partner, we work closely with robot manufacturers and support them with comprehensive engineering expertise in the design and integration of high-performance drive systems. Our portfolio includes cycloidal gearheads, shaft gearheads, short gearheads, actuators, and digital gear solutions, covering a wide range of torque, installation space, and integration requirements. Scalability ensures high cost-effectiveness even at high production volumes. Our solutions are used in industrial robots, cobots, and humanoid robots, among others, and are known for their high precision, dynamics, and repeatability, as well as reliable operation over a long service life. As a result, they enhance the process reliability of robotic applications and contribute to high productivity and cost-effectiveness in robot-assisted processes.
Do you need precision gears for your robot?
We work with you to develop drive solutions that are precisely tailored to the requirements of your robot joints.
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Why Choose Nabtesco for Robotics Applications?
Nabtesco is synonymous with comprehensive expertise in development, manufacturing, and mass production, as well as global production and delivery capabilities. In industrial robotics, we are the global market leader in robot gearboxes. Through our engineering services, we implement customer-specific adaptations and custom solutions for robot joints and drive systems. Robot manufacturers benefit from a high degree of flexibility in design and high-performance solutions for a wide range of applications.
Your benefits:
Over 40 years of experience in robotics
Development and design partner to leading robot manufacturers
Over 14 million gearboxes in use worldwide (complaint rate = 0.01%)
Expertise in various robot types and applications
Global production and delivery capabilities
Robotics Solutions in Detail
Nabtesco offers precision gearboxes and drive solutions for a wide range of robot types—from traditional industrial robots to cobots and humanoid robots. Discover our solutions.
Nabtesco's Range of Products for Robotics
The product range extends from individual precision gearheads to compact actuators and digital, custom-tailored solutions. The wide torque range enables a consistent gear strategy for a wide variety of shaft sizes and power requirements. This simplifies the design process and can shorten development cycles.
Performance Range for Robotics:
Comprehensive gear and drive solutions for robotics
Cycloidal gearboxes, shaft gearboxes, and short gearboxes, as well as actuators
Torque range from 4.5 to 70,000 Nm
Custom adaptations, including mass customization
Digital solutions for condition monitoring and predictive maintenance
The Right Drive Solution for Every Robotics Application
Depending on the design objective, different requirements take center stage for robot joints—ranging from precision and dynamics to installation space, load capacity, and integration. This overview shows which Nabtesco solutions are suitable for each set of requirements.
| Development Goal | Key Requirements | Nabtesco Solutions |
|---|---|---|
| High Precision | Low torsional backlash, high rigidity | Cycloidal gears, shaft gears, short gears, actuators |
| High loads | High torque, high load capacity, high tilting stiffness | Cycloidal gears |
| Compact joints | Small installation space, high power density | Shaft gears, short gears, actuators |
| Low weight | Low mass, compact design | Shaft gears, actuators |
| High dynamics | Low inertia, high acceleration capability | Cycloidal gears, helical gears, actuators |
| High integration | Compact design, fewer interfaces | Actuators, custom solutions |
| Condition monitoring | Integrated sensors, condition and load data | Digital gearboxes |
What advantages do Nabtesco's precision gearboxes offer in robotics?
Our robot gearboxes are highly precise, dynamic, durable, and compact. They operate reliably and with minimal wear even under high loads and over many motion cycles. The wide range of designs and performance classes provides a high degree of design flexibility when configuring robot joints.
Your benefits:
- High precision: Worm gearboxes with absolutely no backlash and cycloidal gearboxes with a hysteresis loss of < 0.5 arcmin
- High torsional and bending stiffness—even at high speeds and under heavy loads
- High reduction ratios in a single stage
- High shock resistance up to 500% of the rated torque
- Compact design for limited installation spaces
- Optional hollow shaft for routing cables and hoses
- Integrated main bearing: The gear unit can be used as a load-bearing machine component
- Low wear and long service life
Drive Solutions for Robotics
Which gear technology is suitable for which robot axis?
Nabtesco offers cycloidal, worm, and short-ratio gearheads to meet the specific requirements of robot joints. Cycloidal gearheads are suitable for high-load axes with high torque and stiffness requirements. Worm gearheads offer advantages for compact and lightweight axes with low to medium torques. Short-type gearheads are used in applications where axial installation space is severely limited.
Actuators and Integrated Drive Solutions
Actuators combine key drive components into a single compact unit, thereby reducing the effort required for design integration. The interaction between the gearbox, motor, and sensors allows for fewer interfaces and enables the drive solution to be specifically tailored to the requirements of the robot joint. Actuators are particularly well-suited for robot joints where limited installation space, low weight, and a high degree of functional integration are critical.
Digital Gearboxes for Networked Robotics
Digital gearboxes integrate sensors directly into the drive system and collect operating data such as torque, temperature, and vibration. This data enables condition monitoring, early detection of critical operating conditions, and condition-based maintenance planning, all the way up to predictive maintenance.
What are the key considerations in the design of robot joints?
When designing robot joints, factors such as torque, load profile, gear ratio, stiffness, motion sequence, installation space, and interfaces must be coordinated. Nabtesco supports robot manufacturers in the technical sizing of gearboxes and actuators, as well as in their integration into the overall system.
Your benefits:
- Application-optimized gear design
- Holistic approach to the robot joint
- Coordinated components
- Project support through to series production
- Efficient integration into the overall system
Series Competence for Robotics
Nabtesco uses standardized platforms, a high degree of modularity, and scalable manufacturing processes to cost-effectively produce custom solutions in series production. Production ranges from single units and small batches to large-scale series production.
Our Expertise in Series Production
For which types of robots and kinematic configurations does Nabtesco offer drive solutions?
Nabtesco offers precision gearboxes and drive solutions for a wide variety of robot types and kinematics—from compact, lightweight robots to heavy-duty industrial and heavy-load robots.
Types of Robots and Kinematics:
- Articulated-arm robots
- Industrial robots
- Cobots and lightweight robots
- Humanoid robots
- Service robots
- Delta robots
- SCARA robots
- Tripods
- Cartesian robots
- Mobile robots / AMR
- Medical robots
- Heavy-duty robots
FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions About Gearboxes in Robotics
Precision gears transmit torque and motion with high accuracy and rigidity. In robot joints, they influence, among other things, positioning accuracy, dynamics, load capacity, and repeatability.
The gearbox adapts the motor's speed and torque to the requirements of the robot joint and influences key characteristics such as the axis's precision, stiffness, dynamics, and load-carrying capacity.
The selection is based, among other factors, on loads, motion profile, installation space, and integration requirements. The goal is a gear solution that meets the required performance specifications and can be easily integrated into the robot joint.
Gearboxes with integrated sensors collect condition and load data. This data enables condition monitoring and serves as the basis for predictive maintenance and condition-based maintenance planning.
Cycloidal gearboxes are particularly well-suited for high torques, high loads, and high rigidity requirements. Shaft-type gearboxes are especially compact and lightweight, offering advantages in terms of limited installation space and low mass.
Minimal rotational play improves the positioning and repeatability accuracy of a robotic joint. Minimizing play as much as possible is crucial, especially for precise movements and frequent changes in direction.
High rigidity reduces deformation under load and contributes to precise motion. The load-carrying capacity determines the forces and moments the gearbox can withstand during operation.
A hollow shaft allows cables, hoses, or other media to be routed through the gearbox. This enables lines to be routed through the robot joint in a space-saving and protected manner.
Nabtesco offers cycloidal gearboxes, shaft gearboxes, and short gearboxes, as well as actuators designed to meet a variety of requirements regarding torque, installation space, weight, dynamics, and integration.
Cycloidal gears are used in particular for high torques, high loads, and high stiffness requirements.
Worm gearboxes, short gearboxes, and actuators are particularly well-suited for robot joints with limited installation space and strict weight requirements.
