SeAH Besteel Localizes Special Steel for Robot Reducers, Reducing Reliance on Japan

SeAH Besteel announced on the 6th that it has successfully developed and commercialized specialty steel used in the gear reducers of robotic drive systems. These systems are crucial for controlling the motion of a robot's arms and legs by managing the high rotational speed of motors. This specialty steel is integral to the flex spline component, which plays a pivotal role in transmitting motor power within the robot’s gear reducer.

The company has utilized a unique alloy design to prevent tiny shape distortions that occur due to the stress metals experience during heat treatment. This ensures the material remains stable across various temperatures and impacts, while providing excellent machinability and maintaining precise dimensions. By optimizing the steel to minimize the backlash between the meshing gears, SeAH Besteel enhances the precision and accuracy of the robot’s movements, ensuring they are error-free.temperatures and impact while securing optimal machinability and dimensional precision.

SeAH Besteel Innovates Ultra-Clean Steel for Robotics

The company has successfully enhanced the fatigue life of its materials under repeated loads, attributing this advancement to its vacuum degassing facility that extracts fine impurities under vacuum conditions during the refining process. This process has facilitated the production of ultra-clean steel that significantly reduces non-metallic inclusions responsible for microcracks, thus enhancing the material's reliability. After initially being supplied to SPG, a domestic precision gear reducer manufacturer, in February, this material has transitioned into mass production and is progressively capturing market share at various industrial sites. SeAH Besteel is now set on further developing specialty steel grades, with humanoid robots marked as the forthcoming area of application.

An official at SeAH Besteel expressed that achieving mass production using entirely domestic technology in a specialty steel market, previously dominated by a select few foreign entities including Japanese companies, represents a significant milestone. "We will spearhead the development of high-quality specialty steel materials, thereby laying a solid foundation for the Korean robot industry to strengthen its global competitiveness," the official stated. This initiative underscores the company's commitment to reducing reliance on international suppliers and bolstering the national industry's standing on the world stage