Comparison of Characteristics of Cycloidal Gear Reducer of 20 Different Combinations of Metal and Plastic Parts

In recent years, the demand for industrial robots has increased and is expected to continue to grow. On the other hand, efforts to reduce the global environmental burden are spreading. This paper aims to develop a lightweight reduction gear for energy-saving robots. To reduce the weight of robots, it is necessary to replace conventional metal materials with new lightweight materials. However, in general, weight reduction tends to reduce the rigidity of the robot, resulting in a decrease in the high-speed and high-precision performance required of robots. The authors have studied the possibility of replacing metal parts with machined CFRP, POM, and 3D printer resin parts , and have examined the adaptability of these parts. In the previous paper, weight, no-load running torque, torque- torsional characteristics, and static torque transfer efficiency were compared for 14 different combinations of metal and resin reduction gears. In this paper, the number of reduction gear combinations is increased to 20, and dynamic torque transfer efficiency is added to the comparison. As a result, the effect of the type of resin applied and its combination on the performance of the reduction gears is clarified, and it is shown that weight reduction can be achieved while minimizing performance degradation by selecting the combination that best suits the application.