Differential Pancake Gear

It offers the designer high ratio, in-line mechanical power transmissions in extremely compact configurations. Pancake component sets are easier to use than conventional gearing. All that is required is suitable bearing support for the input and output shaft, and a means of fixing the circular spline against rotation.

• Flat shape type
• High positioning and rotational accuracies
• Low axial width
• Easily adapted to customer supplied assembly

How it works

FB component set consists of four elements:

• Wave generator, an elliptical bearing assembly
• Flexspline, a non-rigid ring with external teeth
• Circular Spline, rigid internal gear
• Dynamic Spline, rigid internal gear

Rotation of the Wave Generator imparts a rotating elliptical shape to the Flexspline causing progressive engagement of its external teeth with the internal teeth of the Circular Spline and the Dynamic Spline. The fixed Circular Spline has two more teeth than the Flexspline, thereby imparting relative rotation to the Flexspline at a reduction ratio corresponding to the difference in the number of teeth. With the same number of teeth, the Dynamic Spline rotates with and at the same speed as the Flexspline.

Known for its expert engineering and manufacturing, Harmonic Drive LLC products are relied upon every day throughout the motion control industry. 

About Harmonic Drive LLC
Harmonic Drive LLC engineers and manufactures precision Harmonic Drive® servo actuators, gearheads and gear component sets.  They work with industry-leading customers and companies of all sizes to provide both standard product and custom-engineered servo actuators, gearheads and gear components. Harmonic Drive LLC provides high precision, high performance solutions to meet customer’s mission critical application requirements. The majority of the products sold by HDLLC are proudly made at their US headquarters and manufacturing facility in Massachusetts. Harmonic Drive LLC is AS9100 and ISO 9001 registered. Affiliated companies in, Japan (Harmonic Drive Systems, Inc.) and Germany (Harmonic Drive SE) provide additional manufacturing capabilities.

With over 50 years of experience, our expert engineering and production teams develop enabling technologies and products to meet the needs of an evolving motion control market. We are very proud of our outstanding company history. Our high-precision, zero-backlash Harmonic Drive® gears and Harmonic Planetary® gears have, and continue to play critical roles in robotics, spaceflight applications, semiconductor manufacturing equipment, factory automation equipment, medical diagnostics and surgical robotics. More information can be found by visiting the company’s website at www.harmonicdrive.net

Harmonic Drive is a registered trademark of Harmonic Drive Systems.