| |

Nidec Drive Technology Develops Smart-FLEXWAVE, the World’s First Precision Reducer with Multiple Built-in Sensors, They Claim

December 4, 2023

Nidec Drive Technology Develops Smart-FLEXWAVE, the World’s First Precision Reducer with Multiple Built-in Sensors, They Claim

Nidec Drive Technology Corporation, a member of Nidec Corporation’s group companies, announced that it has developed Smart-FLEXWAVE, the world-first product that combines FLEXWAVE, an existing precision control reducer for robots and machine tools, with built-in torque, temperature, and angle sensors.

FLEXWAVE, the currently available precision reducer with a wave gear mechanism, is used chiefly in industrial robots’ joints for its ability to achieve a high reduction ratio with a single axis, among other features such as light weight, compact size, high rotation accuracy, and super-low backlash. The Smart₋FLEXWAVE, the newly developed reducer that combines torque, temperature, and angle sensors in its mechanism, can detect output torque, temperature inside a reducer, and input axis angle while maintaining an existing reducer’s space. This feature enables Smart₋FLEXWAVE to contribute to making smaller and lighter collaborative robots, detect a robot crashing into an obstacle, and monitor screw tightening torque, overheat, stopping place, etc., all remotely via a network, boosting productivity.

This new reducer of the series will be exhibited at International Robot Exhibition (iREX) 2023 to be held at Tokyo Big Sight (Tokyo International Exhibition Center) from November 29 – December 02, 2023 (The Company’s booth will be E2-27 of Hall East 1-3).

The Company stays committed to providing a variety of fields with its high-efficiency industrial machines based on its reducer- and continuously variable transmission-based knowhow to contribute to productivity enhancement and automation.

Source

More Information

For more details on the above product, please contact Nidec Drive Technology Corporation’s Reducer Company Business Planning Group at +81-75-958-3887. Thank you.

Related Story

Nidec Receives “Clarivate Top 100 Global Innovator 2023” Award

Since 2012, Clarivate Plc annually gives the “Clarivate Top 100 Global Innovator” award to organizations selected as the top 100 revolutionary companies and institutions leading the world, based on the company’s own patent database to analyze various entities’ intellectual properties (IP) in the four evaluation areas of “success rate,” “global reach,” “influence,” and “scarcity.” This year, 38 Japanese companies have received this award.

Related Articles



Editor’s Pick: Featured Article

Weidmüller’s u-control 2000: The Automation Controller

Weidmüller’s u-control 2000: The Automation Controller

Weidmüller’s scalable engineering software, u-control 2000, adapts individually to your requirements. And, the u-control is powerful, compact and fully compatible with Weidmüller’s I/O system u-remote. This article looks at what makes u-control the heart of your automation.

Programmable logic controllers (PLCs) are one of the main components of any automated system. A typical control system has inputs, outputs, controllers (i.e., PLCs), and some type of human interaction with the system, a human machine interface (HMI), for example.

Read More



Latest Articles

  • Designing Out-of-Panel Machines Without Compromising Visibility or Safety

    June 10, 2025 As industrial systems shift toward out of panel architectures, the conversation is no longer about why out-of-panel solutions matter; it is about what they enable. For engineers and manufacturers, the real value lies in outcomes: faster deployment, improved uptime, simplified design, and greater system transparency -all without sacrificing safety or control. What Read More…

  • ITC 101: CC Fuses vs Midget Fuses

    June 10, 2026 How to choose the right fuses? ITC Electrical knows that choosing the right fuse is essential for protecting electrical equipment, minimizing downtime, and maintaining safe operation. Two common fuse types used in industrial and control panel applications are CC fuses and Midget fuses. Understanding the difference between the two types of helps ensure the proper Read More…