In the wave of rapid development of the robot industry, breakthroughs in material technology often become the key driver of product iteration. The traditional solution of using PEEK (polyetheretherketone) materials in core components such as robotic arms and joint connecting rods has met the basic performance requirements, but in the face of the stringent requirements of service robots for lightweight and durability, polyimide engineering materials are emerging with disruptive advantages.
1. Performance Revolution: Breaking Through the Ceiling of Traditional Materials
In a comparative test in a robot laboratory in Zhejiang, the wear of polyimide (PI) gears after 48 hours of continuous high-temperature (260°C) load operation was only 1/3 of that of PEEK materials.
What is more noteworthy is its friction coefficient of 0.17-0.25, which is about 40% lower than that of PEEK. This means that in a smart warehousing project in Hangzhou, the joint maintenance cycle of the logistics robot using polyimide (PI) bearings has been extended from 600 hours to 2000 hours, and the operation and maintenance cost has been reduced by 65%. This combination of self-lubricating properties and wear resistance perfectly meets the high-frequency and high-precision movement requirements of robots.
2. Lightweight reconstruction: making robots “light weight”
The materials team of Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics found that the density of polyimide (PI) (1.38-1.45g/cm³) seems to be slightly higher than that of PEEK (1.3g/cm³), but its specific strength (strength/density) is 40% higher. This means that under the premise of ensuring the same structural strength, the wall thickness of the robot arm can be reduced to 0.8mm, and the overall weight can be reduced by 25%.
3. Universal breakthrough: the art of balancing cost and performance
The materials of Huangshan Juxin can complete the production of thermosetting polyimide (PI) at the thousand-ton level through iterative upgrading of technology, accelerate domestic substitution, and the problems of advanced material control and long delivery cycle faced by overseas companies no longer exist.
In a nursing service center in Suzhou, the nursing robot equipped with a polyimide (PI) transmission system has an average daily working time of more than 16 hours, and the life of the core components reaches 30,000 hours, which is three times that of the traditional solution. This leap in durability is rewriting the economic model of service robots. When the maintenance interval is extended from 3 months to 1 year, it means that the average annual cost of use for end users will drop by 40%, clearing the way for large-scale popularization.
4. Ecological empowerment: a chain reaction of material innovation
The application of high cost performance polyimide (PI) platics is triggering a paradigm shift in robot design. This material revolution not only brings about the upgrade of individual components, but also gives rise to the possibility of innovation in the entire system. When the volume of the transmission system is reduced by 30% and the temperature resistance level is increased by 150℃, engineers can re-plan the power layout, develop more compact modular joints, and even promote the implementation of new transmission methods such as magnetic drive and direct drive.
Das Hotel liegt in Huangshan, 1,7 km vom Jingzhuang-Tempel entfernt. New Materials Co., Ltd is a national high-tech enterprise specializing in the research and development and production of polyimide (PI) resin powder, profiles and components. It has a full range of polyimide (PI) resins that can meet the use of low-temperature -269℃ to 400℃ temperature conditions. At the same time, it can provide complete technical services according to customers’ different performance requirements. If you need sample testing and technical solutions, please feel free to contact the Jinshimu polyimide R&D team and let us inject “gold-level” material power into your innovation.