Micro-Segments in record time

An international robotics company is currently developing a new humanoid robot. The micro-segments originally specified for the drive system, made from NO20 electrical steel, posed significant manufacturing challenges. The previously used stamped and stacked lamination packs exhibited insufficient mechanical strength, were structurally unstable, and in some cases could not be handled reliably in the production process.

An alternative solution with substantially higher strength and precision was urgently required.
Bonded micro-segments using backlack technology proved to be the optimal solution.

Challenge – Maximum Power Density in the Smallest Possible Installation Space

Drives for humanoid robots must deliver maximum performance, dynamics, and reliability within extremely limited installation space. The previously used stamped-and-stacked NO20 lamination packs no longer met these requirements. The ultra-thin laminations offered insufficient structural strength, causing individual stacks to detach or become damaged during further processing. Under these conditions, a production-ready series implementation was not feasible.

What was needed was a solution for mechanically stable, ultra-precise, and process-safe micro-segments.

Approach – Precision Through Stamping, Stacking and Bonding

SWD AG has many years of experience in the manufacturing of high-precision lamination stacks as well as in the processing of ultra-thin NO20 electrical steel materials. Based on this expertise, SWD developed a perfectly tailored solution:

• stamping directly into a high-precision bonding tool
• exact positioning of the individual laminations

• thermal bonding of the micro-segments into high-strength lamination packs

This fully integrated process of stamping, stacking, and bonding has been independently developed, refined, and perfected by SWD over many years. The result is mechanically stable micro-segments with the highest level of geometric accuracy.

Success – From Concept to Prototype Production in Just Four Weeks

In only four weeks, SWD AG realized:

• a multi-cavity stamping tool,
• the corresponding bonding tools, and
• the production of more than 1’000 high-precision, bonded NO20 micro-segments.

The customer immediately used these samples in initial production trials—with consistently convincing results in terms of mechanical strength, dimensional accuracy, and process reliability.

Discussions regarding the next development steps and series implementation are already underway.