What do you need from your next gear order?

Jon Lawson

Global gear demand is expected to grow to 217 billion US dollars by the end of 2018. To help engineering companies avoid potential waiting times for components, 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, the firm 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,” explained Graham Mackrell, managing director of 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 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.”
 
To participate in Harmonic Drive’s survey, please visit the website here.

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