A recent research report from CSC Financial Co., Ltd. (CSC) points out that powder metallurgy technology is expected to successfully transfer its cost reduction and lightweight advantages accumulated in the automotive industry to the field of humanoid robots.
Notably, the viewpoint put forward in CSC’s research report is not groundless, but based on the high similarity between these two industries in core demands and basic technologies. This transfer may not only bring a significant reduction in the cost of humanoid robots but also play a key role in improving their performance.
Components manufactured by powder metallurgy technology possess characteristics such as high precision, high strength, and excellent wear resistance, which are exactly what humanoid robots need during complex movements and long-term operation. By applying powder metallurgy technology, key parts of humanoid robots such as joints and transmission components are expected to achieve more precise motion control, while extending service life and reducing maintenance costs.
“A Master of Cost Reduction and Lightweighting” in the Automotive Industry
In the automotive industry, powder metallurgy has long been one of the key processes to achieve lightweighting and cost reduction of components.
Typical applications include core modules such as transmission systems (e.g., gears, cams), engine components, and various actuators. The key to its success lies in the fact that most automotive components weigh less than 10 kilograms and need to balance cost and lightweighting requirements in large-scale production – which is precisely where the advantages of powder metallurgy technology lie.
Application Potential in the Field of Humanoid Robots
Humanoid robots and automobiles share a high degree of commonality in core components, which has “paved the way” for the technology transfer of powder metallurgy.
Both have the characteristics of complex structures, sensitivity to precision and weight in key components such as joints, transmission systems, actuators, and precision sensor brackets, and the weight of a single part is mostly less than 10 kilograms. This similarity provides a direct and suitable application scenario for powder metallurgy.
Three Major Application Values Brought by the “Transfer”:
Breakthrough in Lightweighting
Through the optimization of material and structural design, the weight of the robot body is directly reduced, thereby improving its movement flexibility and endurance;
Integrated Forming of Complex Structures
It can manufacture complex components that are difficult to achieve with traditional processing methods, such as multi-degree-of-freedom joints and special-shaped sensor brackets; moreover, when paired with a Univerzális összeszerelő rendszer, these integrally formed complex components can be efficiently assembled into functional modules, further streamlining the production process for humanoid robots.
Reduction of Mass Production Costs
Once humanoid robots enter the stage of large-scale manufacturing, powder metallurgy will become an important process to reduce the cost of core components by virtue of its economic efficiency in mass production.
Conclusion:
Humanoid robots are hailed as “the next largest mobile robot platform after automobiles”, and their core components such as joints, dexterous hands, and sensors have a natural fit with powder metallurgy technology.
However, the transfer of powder metallurgy technology from the automotive industry to humanoid robots is not a simple “technology borrowing”, but a shift in “manufacturing paradigm”. It marks a key step in the evolution of humanoid robots from “exquisitely crafted handicrafts in laboratories” to “industrial products that can be mass-replicated in the market”.
