Smart gearboxes for the digital transformation

Digitalization is opening up new opportunities in robotics and mechanical engineering. Networked ecosystems, intelligent components, and smart services are the key to unlocking enormous potential—whether in terms of productivity, efficiency, process reliability, maintenance, or availability. Gearboxes play a special role in this. Nabtesco, the world's largest manufacturer of precision gearboxes, understands the challenges and offers unique solutions for the digital transformation of industry.

In today's age of digitalization, the successful interaction of hardware and software is increasingly becoming a decisive competitive factor. Intelligent components, smart sensor technology, digitally networked systems, and automated production processes dominate innovations and determine the course toward success. No digitalization, no future. "Precision gearboxes such as our cycloidal gearboxes and shaft gearboxes make a valuable contribution. They are an essential component in the drive train of robots and production machines and contribute significantly to increasing productivity and efficiency, improving machine and plant availability, reducing downtime, and lowering costs," emphasizes Daniel Obladen, Director of Sales & Marketing at Nabtesco Precision Europe GmbH.

Focus on digitization of transmissions

Nabtesco, one of the leading specialists in precision gearboxes and the global market leader in robot gearboxes, brings together a unique combination of outstanding gearbox expertise, innovative electronics and software development, many years of experience, and mechatronic system competence within the corporate family. One of the current focal points is the digitalization of gearboxes. Hybridization, digital gearbox twins, machine learning, big data, and artificial intelligence (AI) are the buzzwords.

Experience and expertise make the difference

Data is the fuel of digital transformation and opens the door to new opportunities such as condition monitoring and predictive maintenance. Operating and process parameters can be recorded directly via real sensors or indirectly via virtual sensors. The real art lies in analyzing and processing the data. Experience, expertise, and an understanding of application-specific characteristics are essential for this, because high-quality underlying data and a well-founded, detailed, and high-quality evaluation are of immense importance for the quality of the results. Nabtesco Precision Europe is a decisive step ahead in this area. Whether digital gear models, sensorized shaft gears, or hybridized cycloidal gears: the solutions from the technology leader combine know-how and expertise from more than 35 years and provide convincing answers to current questions.

Digital variable speed gearbox without additional space requirements

The digital wave gearbox – developed and produced in Limburg an der Lahn (Ovalo GmbH site) – integrates smart sensor technology with the same dimensions as a standard gearbox, offering a space-neutral solution for intelligent automation. This is unique on the market and a major advantage for users. Sensors determine torque, temperature, and vibration. Together with empirical values from practical experience, this allows reliable conclusions to be drawn about the condition of the gearbox. The integrated Electronic Evaluation Unit (EEU) evaluates the data and sends it directly to the higher-level control system via the bus system. The operator receives recommendations for action and can react early to changing parameters and initiate appropriate measures.

Cycloidal gears & the digital gear twin

Nabtesco has already taken another equally innovative approach with its cycloidal gears. The company is the first gear manufacturer in the robotics industry to open up the black box of its gears and provide robot manufacturers with gear-specific data and characteristics in the form of a Nabtesco add-on for robot control systems. The goal: a digital replica of the haptic gearbox with its relevant properties. The digital gearbox twin is becoming a reality. This involves working with values that are already available. The speed and torque curve, combined with a pool of statistical data from over 35 years of gearbox development, allows detailed conclusions to be drawn about the condition of the gearbox and thus its remaining service life.

Seize opportunities, exploit potential

Digital gearbox solutions make it possible to track the actual operating behavior and specific load on each individual axis of machines and robots in real time. This allows immediate countermeasures to be taken in the event of irregularities or signs of wear. The result: reduced maintenance costs, predictable service calls, less downtime, maximized machine, plant, and robot availability, significant increases in efficiency and performance, and lower total operating costs. All in all, this results in potential savings in the double-digit percentage range.

The gearbox of the future is digital

Gears are the heart of machines and robots and form an important cornerstone of digitalization in the manufacturing industry. They transmit and convert torque, speed, direction of rotation, and force, and set the pace or cycle. When precision is required, Nabtesco Precision Europe's cycloidal and wave gearboxes are the first choice. They cover a torque range from 7 to 70,000 Nm, meet the highest requirements in terms of precision, torque capacity, and torque density, and are ready for the digital age thanks to technological innovations. “In order to always be at the cutting edge of technology, we are continuously developing our products and services—always with an eye on the requirements of the digital factory,” says Daniel Obladen.

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