Cases

New Bee Transmission:High-Precision Ultra-Thin-Wall Crossed Roller Bearings Empower Humanoid Robot Hip Joint Drive Modules

Customer Requirements

A top domestic humanoid robot R&D enterprise imposes extremely strict requirements on the hip joint drive module of its new-generation product:

Extreme Compactness: Extremely limited joint space requires bearings with ultra-thin sections (wall thickness ≤5mm) and minimal installation space.

High Dynamic Performance: Capable of withstanding high-frequency swinging, start-stop impacts, and complex multi-directional loads (radial, axial, overturning moments), demanding ultra-high rigidity and anti-overturning capability.

Ultra-High Precision and Smoothness: Joint movement directly affects gait stability and positioning accuracy, requiring bearing rotational accuracy ≤P4 grade, extremely low and stable friction torque, smooth operation without stuttering, and low noise.

Long Life and Reliability: Design life >10,000 hours, maintaining stable performance under frequent start-stop and variable load conditions without early failure.

Lightweight: Reducing joint weight is crucial for improving the robot's overall battery life and dynamic performance.

Industry Challenges

Traditional deep groove ball bearings or angular contact ball bearings struggle to simultaneously meet requirements for ultra-thinness, high rigidity, anti-overturning moments, and ultra-high precision.

The wall thickness or rigidity of standard crossed roller bearings may not achieve optimal solutions.

Achieving low friction, long life, and high reliability in compact spaces poses a significant challenge.

Luoyang Newbee Transmission Solution 

Aiming at the core support needs of the customer's hip joint drive module (integrating motor, harmonic reducer, and sensor), Luoyang Newbee Transmission's technical team recommended and successfully delivered a customized ‘ultra-thin-wall, high-rigidity integrated crossed roller bearing’.

Core Highlights and Technological Innovations 

<!--[if !supportLists]-->1. <!--[endif]-->Extreme Thin and Light Design

Adopts an optimized cross-section ultra-thin-wall crossed roller bearing, significantly reducing the bearing's radial size and installation space, perfectly fitting the customer's extremely compact joint cavity.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->2. <!--[endif]-->Integrated High-Rigidity Structure

The bearing features an integral inner/outer ring design, with 90° cross-arranged precision cylindrical rollers providing ultra-high radial and axial rigidity, as well as excellent anti-overturning moment capability. This effectively suppresses joint deformation under complex loads, ensuring transmission accuracy and response speed, with rigidity coefficient K optimized to 0.8-1.2 (N/μm).

<!--[if !supportLists]-->3. <!--[endif]-->Nanometer-Level Precision and Ultra-Low Friction

Raceways and rollers undergo ultra-precision grinding to ensure rotational accuracy stably reaching P4 grade (ABEC 7) or higher.

Uses a special low-friction, long-life grease formula with precise filling control.

Optimizes roller end face and rib design, significantly reducing starting torque (<0.1 N·m) and operational friction, ensuring smooth joint movement with noise below 45 dB(A).

<!--[if !supportLists]-->4. <!--[endif]-->Long Life and High Reliability Assurance

Selects high-purity bearing steel (e.g., GCr15SiMn) and employs special heat treatment processes to greatly enhance material contact fatigue strength.

Uses advanced roller logarithmic profile modification technology to optimize contact stress distribution between rollers and raceways, avoiding edge stress concentration and significantly extending fatigue life (L10 life calculation value >15,000 hours).

Implements strict cleanliness control and special sealing structures (optional non-contact low-torque seals or contact high-protection seals) to effectively prevent external contaminant intrusion and grease leakage.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->5. <!--[endif]-->Lightweight Contribution

The ultra-thin design and application of high-strength materials reduce the bearing's own weight by approximately 30% compared to traditional solutions, aiding in overall joint weight reduction.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->6. <!--[endif]-->In-Depth Collaborative Design

Newbee Transmission engineers closely collaborate with customers to conduct targeted optimization based on the drive module's (especially the harmonic reducer output end) interface, load spectrum, and dynamic characteristics, ensuring perfect bearing integration and optimal performance.

Application Effects and Customer Value 

Significant Performance Improvement: The hip joint drive module equipped with Newbee Transmission's customized bearings demonstrates excellent dynamic responsiveness, motion smoothness, and positioning accuracy in tests, fully meeting and even exceeding design indicators. Joint operation noise is significantly reduced.

Extreme Space Utilization: The ultra-thin bearing design reserves valuable space for other key components such as motors, reducers, and sensors, optimizing the internal joint layout.

Reliability Verification Passed: Successfully passes strict >120-hour continuous full-load durability tests, high-low temperature cycle tests (-30℃~120℃), and shock vibration tests with no abnormal wear or failure, verifying the ultra-long life design. - Lightweight Goal Achieved: Effectively reduces joint weight, contributing to improving the robot's overall battery life and dynamic performance.

Accelerated Product Launch: Newbee Transmission's efficient customized development capabilities and stable mass delivery strongly support the customer's rapid humanoid robot project advancement and mass production.

Newbee Transmission Engineer's Comment 

‘Humanoid robot joints are the integration of power, transmission, and perception, imposing requirements on support bearings that demand 'multiple capabilities simultaneously'. The key to this project's success lies in our deep understanding of the hip joint's load characteristics and space constraints, maximizing the high rigidity, anti-overturning, high precision, and low friction of ultra-thin-wall crossed roller bearings. Through in-depth customization of materials, processes, and design, we meet the strict requirements for ultra-long life and reliability. This fully demonstrates Newbee Transmission's technical foundation and engineering capabilities in solving core motion component challenges for high-end equipment. We are delighted to provide critical basic component support for the development of China's cutting-edge humanoid robots."

Application Fields 

Humanoid robots, bionic robots, collaborative robots (high-load joints), precision rotating platforms, high-end medical device joints.

Core Product Technologies 

Ultra-thin section crossed roller bearings, high-rigidity bearing design, ultra-precision bearing manufacturing, long-life lubrication technology, customized bearing solutions.