Big Announcement! KOFON is thrilled to participate in ATX WEST 2025 from February 4-6 in Anaheim, CA! Together with our US partners, we’ll showcase our latest high-precision mechanical transmission products, including servo planetary gearbox and strain wave gear solutions, featuring groundbreaking tooth profiles for superior performance.
ATX West is the leading exhibition for automation, robotics, and smart manufacturing, offering a platform to explore cutting-edge technologies. Our servo planetary gearbox series is engineered to deliver unmatched efficiency, durability, and precision, making it a game-changer for automation applications.
Join us to discover how KOFON’s servo planetary gearbox and advanced drive systems are revolutionizing the industry. Let’s connect with automation experts and discuss how we can empower your projects with innovative solutions.
Don’t miss this opportunity to see our servo planetary gearbox in action and learn how KOFON is driving the future of automation. See you at ATX West 2025!
In the realm of industrial automation, the multi-axis power execution robotics unit stands as a cornerstone of modern manufacturing and inspection processes. Among the critical components enabling the precision and reliability of these robotic systems, strain wave gears have emerged as a leading solution. Their unique combination of high torque density, compact design, and exceptional accuracy makes them indispensable in applications requiring precise motion control, such as routing inspection robots.
This application example highlights the integration of strain wave gears in the wrist axis of a 2-axis robot designed for routing inspection tasks. The demanding nature of this application necessitates strain wave gears that are backlash-free, capable of handling high loads, and exhibit high torsional stiffness. Additionally, low operational noise and an extended service lifetime are critical to ensure uninterrupted performance in industrial environments. These requirements are met by our advanced strain wave gear technology, which has been rigorously tested and optimized for such high-performance applications.
The engineering design of this robotic unit is supported by our KSBG-SO Simplicity Box units, a specialized series of strain wave gears tailored for industrial robotics. A standout feature of the KSBG-SO series is its integration of a powerful crossed roller bearing, which significantly enhances the unit’s ability to withstand tilting moments. This is particularly crucial in robotic joints, where the output-side bearing of the strain wave gear is often subjected to substantial mechanical stress. By incorporating this robust bearing design, the KSBG-SO units ensure reliable operation even under the most challenging conditions, making them an ideal choice for industrial robot applications.
In this specific design, the power execution robot unit is further enhanced by the integration of a high-precision spiral bevel gear. The optimized tooth engagement of the spiral bevel gear contributes to superior noise control, ensuring that the robotic system operates quietly and efficiently. This combination of strain wave gears and spiral bevel gears creates a synergistic effect, delivering both precision and durability in a compact form factor.
Another key advantage of this design is its modularity. The strain wave gear unit can be easily disassembled for maintenance or replacement without requiring a complete disassembly of the robot power unit. This modular approach not only reduces downtime but also simplifies the maintenance process, making the system more user-friendly and cost-effective over its lifecycle.
The application of strain wave gears in this multi-axis power execution robotics unit underscores their versatility and reliability in demanding industrial environments. By leveraging the unique benefits of strain wave gear technology, such as high loading capacity, low backlash, and compact design, this robotic system achieves unparalleled performance in routing inspection tasks. Furthermore, the integration of advanced bearing systems and modular design principles ensures that the system remains robust, maintainable, and future-proof.
In conclusion, the use of strain wave gears in this application exemplifies their critical role in advancing robotic technology. As industrial automation continues to evolve, the demand for high-performance strain wave gears will only grow, solidifying their position as a key enabler of precision and efficiency in modern robotics.
• Since power is transmitted through multiple tooth engagement, strain wave gear (harmonic reducer) offers high output torque capacity.
• Strain wave gears (harmonic reducer) are backlash-free. Positioning accuracy can be within one arc-min. Repeatability accuracy can be within 5 arc-sec.
• Strain wave gear (harmonic reducer) units are reversible and can be used for speed increase as well as speed reduction.
• With only three elements high single stage reduction ratios ranging from 50:1 to 320:1 can be achieved.
• Strain wave gears (harmonic reducer) exhibit very high torsional stiffness over the whole torque range, as well as almost linear hysteresis behaviour.
• Strain wave gearing the teeth come in contact with an almost pure-radial motion, and have essentially zero sliding velocity, even at high input speeds. This results in minimal wear and long operating life.
• High efficiency be available up to 85 %.
• The strain wave gears (harmonic reducer) can provide the option of a central hollow shaft which can be used to pass cables, shafts through the centre of the gear.
The strain wave gear was invented by Walton Musser in 1957. It was firstly applied in the electrically-driven wheels of Apollo Lunar Rover. Through 60 years development, now in various applications in high level industry.
The Operational Principle of Strain Wave Gear
The flex-spline is slightly smaller in diameter than the circular-spline resulting in it having two fewer teeth on its outer circumference. It is held in an elliptical shape by the wave-generator and its teeth engage with the teeth of the circular-spline across the major axis of the ellipse.
When the wave-generator starts to rotate clockwise, the zone of tooth engagement travels with the major elliptical axis. When the wave-generator has turned through 180 degrees clockwise the flex-spline has regressed by one tooth relative to the circular-spline.
As its unique operational principle applying elastodynamics of metals, the strain wave gear tooth behavior can achieve free backlash motion and high positioning repeat-ability. More than 30% of all teeth engages in two locations in 180 degree symmetry to reach high efficiency and high torque capability.
A milestone to remember, the new KOFON ® plants will be officially opened today in Hubei. We believe in Hubei as one of the mostly dynamic economy area in China.
As the member of KOFON ® Motion Group, we have a definitely clear vision: We aim to empower our global customers in precision automation. Therefore we built the new additional and the most modern manufacturing plants for servo planetary gearbox in investment € 25 million.
Key fact of the new plants manufacturing:
– Customized modern manufacturing information system
– Talented artisan for all precision processing
– Complete global top level tooling
– Aligned to annual 300,000 precision servo gearbox units
– Facility total area of 50,000 m²
This investment underlines KOFON ® Motion Group’s growth plan in global market. We are always motivated to serve for global customers.
A global great tooling machine builder has increased its internal power unit motion precision by over 30% with the KOFON ® Motion servo gearbox. The power unit motion efficiency also improved by 20% and KOFON ®’s solution has reduced overall cost.
The Germany OEM builds hundreds of tooling machine a year and turned to KOFON ® to provide a solution to improve internal power unit motion efficiency and precision. Thanks to the powerful helical gear and gear grinding technology, KOFON ® servo gearbox solution has increased the accuracy and efficiency, supporting a significant boost to productivity.
With the stricter maintenance free requirements, higher precision, efficiency, stability and better value precision motion solution compared to other options, KOFON ®’s servo gearbox has also reduced overall machine build cost.
Kofon has spent the last couple months diligently learning about coronavirus (Covid-19) and its impact on the world. We continue to closely monitor Covid-19
developments and make the effort for additional actions to support our customers.
Kofon plays an essential role in provide excellent servo gearbox products and motion technical service to our customers who depend on our components
in many automation industries globally.
Thank you for your trust during the covid-19 tough period in China. Kofon China headquarter factory gearbox production lines completely recovered from
March 20, 2020 and constantly enlarge our gearbox production capacity to meet the massive increasing needs from some automation industries like
medical, AGV, new energy etc. 2020- Kofon is your confidence for support.
Mechanical Components & Materials Technology Expo [M-Tech] is an exhibition gathering all kinds of mechanical parts such as bearings, fasteners, mechanical springs, metal and plastic processing technology. M-Tech attracts a significant number of professionals every year from design, development, manufacturing, production engineering, purchasing and quality control departments, to conduct lively business discussions with exhibitors.
