SBIR-STTR Award

Zero backlash rotary drive unit includes motor, several stages of proprietary gearless speed reducer. Each reducer stage has a drive cam track cut into an input drive disk and a driven cam track cut into a output driven disk. The rotating drive track rotates the driven track via balls traveling in slots of a grounded reaction disk. All balls work simultaneously at constant velocity and torque throughput: micro torque ripple, increased bandwidth, high stiffness. The rolling balls minimize heat generation, while the flat disks maximize heat dissipation. Axial preloading accommodates thermal, environmental, wear effects, extends lifetime, and cooperate with flat disks for zero backlash and high precision. High volumetric and operational efficiency. Expanded envelope. Robust with low compliance. Cams formed in face of flat disks for lower cost manufacturing. Fabricate in metals, ceramics. No maintenance ceramic disks. Many commercial applications: substitute for conventional gear of planetary assemblies or harmonic drives. Anticipated

Benefits:
High precision, high efficiency, rotary drive units for speed reduction and control in commercial, industrial, manufacturing and processing equipment.

The robotics and manufacturing industries rely on high precision speed reducers to convert low motor torques to high output torque without degrading the tool position. Synkinetics, Inc. has developed a new and innovative technology that uses flat plate cams with balls at conjugate locations transmitting and amplifying torque. This SYNKdrive technology is then coupled to a special machining operation on the cam set to produce a zero-backlash speed reducer. The analysis to date show the zero-backlash SYNKdrive technology as a very versitile, low cost alternative to the products on the market today. This proposal will apply the new technology to the precision rotary table science with the help of a leading precision machine tool manufacturer. The result will be a prototype, high precision rotary table, consistent with tools used on large multi-axis manufacturing machinery, capable of handling typical speed and feed rates and high peice part capacities. Once tested, the designs will be reviewed and improvedfor commercialization. Short Term: High precision rotary tables for the manufacturing industry. Longer Term: Using the technology developed here to improve rotary join and precision positioning devices; robotics and assembly line drive equipment including redundant/fault tolerant drives; etc. Items could be marketed as drop in units to various manufacturers for their use in drive units for military weapons, radar, medical devices, robotics, valves, telecommunications and/or optical device pointing, etc.