Amorphology & AddiTec to Make Steel Strain Wave Gear Flexsplines

Pasadena California based NASA spinoff company founded from technology developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the California Institute of Technology Amorphology Inc has partnered with Additive Technologies, a founding partner of Meltio which is an additive manufacturing company pioneering the development of affordable metal 3D printing systems. Together, Amorphology & AddiTec are developing the additive manufacturing of large steel strain wave gear flexsplines.Additive manufacturing used to produce a 6-inch diameter strain wave gear flexspline from 17-4 PH steel. The part was manufactured using directed energy deposition and then precision-machined into the final shape. The prototype is compared to a common size-20 flexspline measuring approximately 2 inches in diameter. For larger flexsplines, additive manufacturing can provide significant cost savings and open the ability to tailor material properties.Additive manufacturing used to produce a 6-inch diameter strain wave gear flexspline from 17-4 PH steel. The part was manufactured using directed energy deposition and then precision-machined into the final shape. The prototype is compared to a common size-20 flexspline measuring approximately 2 inches in diameter. For larger flexsplines, additive manufacturing can provide significant cost savings and open the ability to tailor material properties.Strain wave gears are a compact and zero backlash gearbox used in robotic arms and precision-motion mechanisms. They transmit torque through a geared thin-walled cup, hat, or band, called a flexspline. The flexspline has precise gear teeth and a flexible wall, a combination of qualities that drives the manufacturing costs of a strain wave gearbox. Because of their complexity, strain wave gears can account for a substantial portion of the cost of a six-degree-of-freedom 6DOF robotic arm.Amorphology & AddiTec together have demonstrated a 6-inch diameter prototype of a strain wave gear flexspline printed in high-performance 17-4 precipitation hardened steel. The prototype was fabricated on a Haas CNC hybrid system running the Meltio Engine. The printed part was removed from the build-tray and then CNC machined into the precision shape. The process also allows for flexible and on-time production of a variety of large flexsplines without having to keep many diameters of stock in house.

Amorphology & AddiTec to Make Steel Strain Wave Gear Flexsplines

Strategic Research Institute

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