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Japan As Pioneer<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Japan has always been a pioneer in industrial automation as well as the development and production of robots. The demand for industrial robots is steadily rising in networked manufacturing landscapes. There is also growth potential in medical service robots, caregiving, housework and food service. These business sectors are taking shape globally today. The leading robot manufacturers and their suppliers are at home anywhere in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the fruits of active FST-NOK cooperation is the development of gearbox seals for grease-lubricated robotic gears. \u201cTo this point, there has not been an all-around satisfactory sealing solution in the market,\u201d Str\u00f6hle said. The partners agreed on a so-called special development agreement (SDA) to change that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the process, the two sides pursued different approaches in their development work and in the test procedures for prototypes. But they continually kept each other informed about their progress. \u201cWe were able to learn a lot from each other as we shared information. Each of the approaches ultimately led to results. They work,\u201d \u00adFr\u00f6lich said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ideal Solution: Premium Sine Seal<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
FST\u2019s Premium Sine Seal (PSS) emerged as an ideal solution for the grease-lubricated robotic gearbox, which is largely in use in Asia. In the West, oil, not grease, is the lubricant of choice. The PSS is a further development of FST\u2019s successful MSS1 (Modular Sealing Solution). It offers outstanding performance with a more compact design and 100 percent sealing with less friction and much \u00adlonger \u2013 maintenance free \u2013 operating lives. The suitability of the sealing system was demonstrated in the Simmerring\u00ae test facility and in customer tests.
\u201cOn this basis, we presented the PSS to our Japanese customer\u2019s German subsidiary, among other contacts,\u201d Str\u00f6hle said. Here FST got a good hearing. But the company headquarters in Japan makes the final decisions on such basic technical questions \u2013 which made an on-site visit in Japan necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Executives there expressed considerable interest in FST\u2019s solution. \u201cThe customer wanted greater protection from dirt and abrasion in the form of a dust lip at the sealing point of the gearbox output,\u201d Fr\u00f6lich said. That was not considered much of a technical hurdle. Str\u00f6hle added: \u201cOur customer expressed the clear desire that we keep \u00addeveloping the PSS so it can be used in the entire range of the company\u2019s gearbox applications.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
NOK and FST will now be testing each other\u2019s solutions, with FST testing the seals from Japan in its test \u00adfacility in Weinheim, and with NOK testing the PSS in its own industrial robots. \u201cWe are now entering the commercialization phase. Our solutions have different advantages and strengths. Now we need to work together and find out how we position the two products in the market and which of them is the best fit for particular customers or applications,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure>Outstanding Robotics<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The business in sealing systems for robotics and automation is on the upswing for Freudenberg Sealing Technologies (FST) internationally. This is clear from the list of awards that Sales General Industry (GI) bestowed last spring for sales success in 2022. The robotics and automation field appeared twice on it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The entire robotics team won the \u201cBest Strategic Segment Development Award 2022\u201d for achieving its ambitious three-year growth goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe team not only achieved it by becoming the No. 1 seal supplier to all the important European OEMs, but also positioned important innovations to secure market share gains in the future,\u201d said Timo Furrer, Vice \u00adPresident, General Industry, explaining the jury\u2019s decision. Over the past few years, the team has acquired some well-known customers. \u201cTargeted, cross-segment cooperation was just as important as the international coordination between Europe, China and North America,\u201d Furrer said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The jury also paid tribute to effective international cooperation with the second award that Sales G.I. bestowed. Dimitrios Tsituridis (FST) and his Chinese colleagues at NFC \u2013 Liu Yang, Cai Jie Ning and Shen Ren Hua \u2013 received the \u201cBest International Collaboration Award 2022\u201d for their ongoing, fruitful business development with the robot manufacturer Kuka on two continents. The robot manufacturer started up its new plant in China amid the coronavirus pandemic and a partial shutdown. \u201cCooperation between the teams made it possible for the customer to ramp up its production without interruption.\u201d Kuka repaid the long-standing good business relations and reliability under tough conditions with \u00adrecord sales.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n