SeAH Steel has successfully achieved domestic production of special steel materials for robot reducers, which were previously reliant on foreign companies, including those in Japan. On October 6, SeAH Steel announced the successful development and commercialization of the special steel material, a key component in robot drives.
The reducer, which acts as a joint for robots, helps control the rapid rotation speed of motors, allowing robot arms and legs to move accurately with the desired speed and force. Notably, the closer the gear meshing gap in the reducer approaches 'zero,' the more precise the movements can be.
The special steel material developed by SeAH Steel will be applied to the 'Flex Spline,' a core component that transmits motor power within the robot reducer. The company has fundamentally eliminated the issue of minor shape deformation caused by metal stress during the heat treatment process through its unique alloy design.
This development minimizes deformation under various temperature changes and impacts, ensuring optimal machinability and dimensional precision, which are critical for robot materials that undergo multiple precision machining processes.
Additionally, since the core components of the reducer must withstand continuous and repetitive movements, the material's fatigue life is crucial. To maximize the fatigue life, SeAH Steel utilized a 'vacuum refining process' that perfectly removes even minute impurities in a vacuum state.
This process has led to the creation of ultra-pure steel by minimizing non-metallic inclusions that can cause micro-cracks, significantly enhancing the reliability of the material.
SeAH Steel's special steel material for robot reducers has already been validated in industrial settings. After supplying the material to the domestic precision reducer company 'SPG' in February, the company has successfully entered mass production and is steadily increasing its market share in actual industrial applications.
Building on the successful mass production of the Flex Spline special steel material, SeAH Steel plans to develop additional special steel grades aimed at humanoid robot applications in the future.
A representative from SeAH Steel stated, "Successfully achieving mass production of special steel materials for robot reducers with purely domestic technology, after being heavily reliant on a few foreign companies, is a significant accomplishment. We will continue to lead the domestic production of high-quality special steel materials, contributing to the competitiveness of the domestic robot industry on the global stage."
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.