Humanoid robots can profit from high-performance seals, says Freudenberg

Industrial robots have turn out to be indispensable in fashionable manufacturing, performing duties with precision, pace, and effectivity. As we glance forward, humanoid robots might quickly develop, not solely in manufacturing, but in addition in a variety of functions. Specifically designed sealing options made from high-performance supplies might be wanted to assist assist the following era of robotics, famous Freudenberg Sealing Applied sciences.

The humanoid market is about to expertise a increase, with projections indicating a considerable and sustained improve over the following decade. The worldwide marketplace for humanoid robots was roughly $2.43 billion U.S. in 2023, however by 2032, it’d develop to $66 billion, in keeping with Fortune Enterprise Insights.

Such projections spotlight the rising presence of those two-legged machines throughout a number of industries, their rise fueled by developments in automation and their potential to work together in a human-like method.

Final 12 months, world automaker BMW garnered consideration by deploying a Determine 02 robotic at its manufacturing facility in Spartanburg, N.C., integrating the system into physique building and sheet steel processing. Standing roughly 1.7 m (5 ft., 7 in.) tall, the Determine AI humanoid reportedly demonstrated its potential in industrial settings.

Equally, Amazon has experimented with Digit from Agility Robotics in U.S. warehouses, signaling rising curiosity throughout totally different sectors in evaluating their advantages for numerous enterprise fashions.

Sealing options can assist robotics progress

As humanoids develop in use, seals will play a key function of their operation, particularly for built-in hydraulic or pneumatic actuators that function the robotic’s “muscle groups” and provoke their actions.

International sealing supplier Freudenberg Sealing Applied sciences considers humanoid robots to be a younger however not unfamiliar subject. The corporate has expertise within the improvement of made-to-order options for industrial robots equivalent to collaborative robotic arms, SCARA robots, delta robots, six-axis robots, and automatic guided automobiles (AGVs). This ends in a pure pathway to offer seals that fulfill humanoid design necessities, all the best way to the finger joints.

The sealing applied sciences utilized in robotic functions should be extraordinarily strong, long-lasting, and made from low-friction supplies to assist lengthy hours of operation and repetitive actions.

Options equivalent to Ingress Safety Seals for Robots (ISPR) cowl all these attributes, offering safety towards dangerous environmental influences equivalent to mud or water, in keeping with Freudenberg. Such seals may also carry out nicely in very small set up areas and may compensate for each axial and tangential displacements.

The corporate added that its IPSR seal is already being constructed into humanoids by a well known worldwide robotic producer.

One other sealing product doubtlessly relevant to humanoid robots is the Premium Sine Seal (PSS). Because of its particular qualities, the seal can be utilized in motors and gearboxes of industrial robots. With its distinctive design, it seals reliably each externally and internally, stopping contamination.

Attributable to its low friction, the PSS ensures that much less of a robotic’s efficiency is misplaced over time and actively counteracts inner contamination within the sealing system, Freudenberg stated.

As well as, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) wafer seals present friction discount in robots. These disk seals made from high-performance PTFE plastic are water-repellent, can be utilized in a particularly big selection of temperatures, and are in demand in numerous industries.

Sealing supplies utilized in robots equivalent to cobots and humanoids should meet numerous challenges and necessities to make sure optimum efficiency and supply a protracted service life. Supply: Freudenberg Sealing Applied sciences

Battery and thermal administration supplies

Miniaturized options are one other development for trade, together with in humanoid robots, the place energy programs should be compact as a result of batteries are sometimes put in within the machine’ thorax area and must be compact.

Not solely are these batteries anticipated to be diminutive, however additionally they want to supply excessive efficiency. Nevertheless, this usually equals extra warmth era, which is why the supplies surrounding the batteries should be heat-resistant.

The precise supplies can tackle the problem of thermal administration in humanoid robots. One instance is Freudenberg’s just lately developed Quantix ULTRA thermoplastic, which may stand up to temperatures as excessive as 1,200°C (2,192°F).

Present makes use of for this materials embrace electric-vehicle battery functions, because it meets the flame-retardant necessities for such environments. As well as, the fabric has been an possibility for the encasement of necessary electrically conductive rails often known as busbars inside electrical powertrains.

As robotics and humanoid deployments scale, demand for such supplies can be more likely to develop.

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Freudenberg equips humanoids for demanding environments

Automation producers are searching for seals with a damping impact that may additionally preserve moisture out on the identical time. Each are preconditions for the most recent class of robots being developed to work in new functions.

Humanoids will not be anticipated to work solely in factories and warehouses. Some individuals predict that they’ll discover roles in caregiving and even outdoor in harsh climate and dealing situations. Which means the seals within the extremely delicate joints should be particularly proof against filth and the penetration of moisture.

Wanting additional forward, it’s conceivable that humanoid robots might be utilized in hazardous environments, equivalent to in mining operations, the place the seals themselves and the supplies they’re made out of must be terribly strong and sturdy.

In the case of boosting the potential of humanoids, it’s necessary to show them shortly, which continues to be a tedious course of. The group at Freudenberg believes that machine studying could be accelerated with the usage of electromagnetic rubber compounds for muscular motion, neural alerts, and even brainwave transmission.

Such compounds have already been utilized in Asia for life-science functions. In the event that they had been utilized to the arms of humanoids, they might relay haptic alerts that might be processed for robotic movement management.

In consequence, builders can discover that sealing consultants can supply an alternate strategy to robotic studying and autonomy along with assist for remote-controlled functions. This might be extra intuitive and environment friendly than conventional programming and video shadowing. These are just a few concepts of how corporations with an intensive data of supplies might transfer within the path of electromagnetic supplies.

Freudenberg has already visited a number of humanoid makers and shared data on growing tailored supplies and sealing product designs primarily based on its in-depth R&D capabilities. Sealing consultants are laying the inspiration to broaden humanoid robots’ vary of functions whereas growing their security, longevity and vary of features.

Concerning the creator and Freudenberg

Hunter Cheng is the worldwide phase supervisor for robotics at Freudenberg-NOK Sealing Applied sciences. With a multi-cultural background and almost a decade of concentrate on sealings for robotics, Cheng is now working with worldwide colleagues to kind a world group serving robotics makers world wide.

Automated programs are getting smaller and extra environment friendly, and so they should endure harsh environmental situations equivalent to excessive or low warmth, plus harsh chemical compounds. To ship productiveness, reliability, and security enhancements, Freudenberg affords sealing programs for every type of robots.

Plymouth, Mich.-based Freudenberg will exhibit at Sales space 4839 at Automate in Detroit this week.