Gearing specialist wants engineer input on industrial applications
Global gear demand is expected to grow to 217 billion U.S. dollars by the end of 2018. To help engineering companies avoid potential waiting times for components, precision gearing specialist Harmonic Drive UK is inviting design engineers and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to take part in its market research about the gearing requirements of upcoming projects.
Earlier this year, Harmonic Drive UK released a whitepaper that explained the importance of accurate movement, spatial awareness and repeatable performance in the robotics sector, with a particular focus on CoBots. Now, Harmonic Drive UK is interested in finding out about the design considerations for projects in other sectors.
There is an increasing demand for more compact, powerful and cost-effective components in industry. To overcome these challenges, Harmonic Drive UK has designed lightweight components like the hollow shaft servo actuators. The focus now, however, is to work with OEMs early in the design process and tackle the design issues for the next generation of industrial applications.
“Gears have been used worldwide since ancient times in a variety of applications and through our years of experience, we have developed specialist gears to meet the needs of our customers,” explained Graham Mackrell, managing director of Harmonic Drive UK. “At Harmonic Drive UK, we are interested to learn more about the technologies and applications that are currently in development to see how our gears measure up.
“The aerospace industry is just one area that the UK Government is trying to encourage innovation and development. In its Industrial Strategy, it was proposed that £54 million will be invested into aerospace research and development (R&D) projects. Currently, our strain wave gears are popular among many large aerospace companies because of their high torque capacity and high torsional stiffness, which are essential features for components in this industry.
“As engineers and OEMs develop the next-generation of engines and aircraft power systems, we expect the gearing requirements for these applications to change significantly. Our survey aims to find out the most popular gearing characteristics for new applications including the power and environmental requirements, gear ratio and backlash specification.”
Harmonic Drive UK uses high quality materials to manufacture its gears and actuators, to ensure they provide the highest standard of accuracy, repeatability and reliability in any application.
If you have an upcoming project or product that requires high positioning accuracy and precision, Harmonic Drive UK is urging engineers to allow plenty of time to plan and source components. This is because global demand has increased significantly for highly precise gears, so companies like Harmonic Drive UK are investing into their manufacturing processes to accommodate for this growth.
To participate in Harmonic Drive’s survey, please visit the website here. Engineers can also find out more information and discuss their latest projects with a Harmonic Drive representative by contacting the company on +44(0)1785 245190 or by visiting the company on stand G50, from October 17–18 at the Engineering Design Show.
