Yushu G1 undergoes surgery and appears in Nature: How difficult is precision parts machining for robots?

Recently, the top international journal Nature published a heavyweight paper titled "In vivo Feasibility Study of Humanoid Robots for Surgical Surgery", which has attracted widespread attention in the robotics industry. The team from the University of California, San Diego successfully completed laparoscopic cholecystectomy of live pigs using two domestically produced Yushu G1 humanoid robots through remote control. This is the first time in the world that a universal humanoid robot has completed a standard minimally invasive surgical procedure on a living body, which is of great significance and has raised more expectations for the future development of humanoid robots.

Removing the appearance of hot topics, for manufacturers like Huiwen Zhizao who are rooted in the upstream of the industry chain and focus on precision parts processing of humanoid robots, this event means that humanoid robots will move towards sub millimeter level fine operation scenarios, no longer limited to basic walking and handling work. This will require higher processing requirements for robot joint shells, transmission structures, dexterous hands and other accessories, and ordinary industrial robot processing technology is no longer suitable, forcing upstream factories to upgrade processing equipment and build fully integrated process solutions to overcome multiple technical difficulties such as irregular multi degree of freedom shells, deep cavity thin-walled parts, and multi material composite processing.

The following text will provide a systematic overview of the difficulties in precision machining of humanoid robots, the core competencies required, and the practices of domestic mid to high end manufacturers.

1、 What are the difficulties in machining robot parts compared to ordinary mechanical parts?

A humanoid robot may involve hundreds or even thousands of precision parts, including materials such as aluminum alloy, stainless steel, titanium alloy, engineering plastics, etc., and processes such as milling, turning, grinding, wire cutting, and other processing methods. Any process with insufficient accuracy will be magnified during the assembly of the entire machine.

Therefore, compared with ordinary mechanical parts, the machining of robot parts has several significant difficulties.

1. Not only does it require high precision for individual parts, but it is also necessary to ensure small deviations in "systematic precision"

Robots do not require the accuracy of a single component to be sufficient, but rather the accuracy of all cooperating components must meet the standard. For example, in a six axis robotic arm, if each of the six joints has a cumulative error of a few micrometers in the reducer housing, output flange, and transmission shaft, the end effector may deviate to an unacceptable level.

This places extremely high demands on the process stability of the processing plant - not only to be able to produce a good piece, but also to ensure that mass-produced parts can be maintained within a certain accuracy range to ensure small deviations in "systematic accuracy" and meet the needs of robot precision operation.

2. Multiple types of parts and complex structures

The development stage of robots often requires continuous iteration, with a wide variety of part models, each of which may only require a few to dozens of pieces. At the same time, the structure of parts is becoming increasingly complex: irregular cavities, thin-walled structures, multi angle hole positions, complex surfaces... These all pose challenges to the multi axis linkage ability and programming level of CNC equipment, especially in the face of "multi variety, small batch, high complexity" orders. This requires robot precision parts processing manufacturers to "remain calm and resilient".

3. Diversified material and process requirements

The materials involved in robot parts are very extensive: lightweight structural parts are made of aluminum alloy or carbon fiber composite materials, high-strength joint parts are made of stainless steel or alloy steel, and medical robots also require biocompatible materials such as titanium alloy and PEEK. The cutting characteristics of different materials are completely different, and the selection of cutting tools, cutting parameters, and cooling methods all need to be adjusted accordingly.

More importantly, many precision parts machining processes for robots are relatively complex. For example, a robot joint housing may need to be milled and roughly machined first, then finely ground to ensure the accuracy of the mating surface. It also requires wire cutting to process irregular structures, and finally surface treatment. Any problems in any of these processes will affect the final quality.

4. Fast R&D iteration and tight delivery requirements

The robotics industry is currently in a period of rapid development, with a very fast pace of research and development. Today's drawings are released, and samples may need to be obtained next week for testing. If the delivery time of the parts supplier cannot keep up, the entire R&D progress will be slowed down. This also places high demands on the flexible production capacity of the factory, such as rapid line changes, flexible scheduling, emergency response, etc.

2、 What abilities do robot precision parts processing manufacturers need to possess?

Based on the above difficulties, factories that can stably perform precision machining of robot parts usually need to possess the following core competencies.

1. The entire process chain has its own coverage

The processing technology involved in robot parts is diverse. If the factory is only good at one or two of them and outsources all the rest, not only will the delivery time be uncontrollable, but the quality consistency will also be difficult to guarantee. The ideal state is like Shenzhen Huiwen Intelligent Manufacturing: all core processes such as CNC milling (including multi axis linkage), turning, precision grinding, wire cutting, etc. are self owned, combined with detection capabilities, forming a complete process loop.

2. Multi axis equipment and flexible production capacity

The complex structure of robot parts often requires five axis linkage or turning milling composite equipment to complete multi-faceted machining in one clamping, reducing the accumulated errors caused by repeated clamping. At the same time, factories need to have the ability to quickly change models and adapt to the production rhythm of multiple varieties and small batches.

3. Systematic quality inspection system

The production of high-precision robot components requires a complete quality management system as the core guarantee. Reliable manufacturers have ISO9001 and IATF16949 system certifications and implement standardized quality inspection processes: first piece full-size inspection to determine the process, process sampling and batch control, and retention of finished product inspection reports to achieve full traceability. Paired with professional testing equipment such as Zeiss CMM, high-precision imaging system, and profilometer, it accurately controls the tolerances of complex and irregular parts, ensuring stable accuracy of the parts.

4. Technical pre service

The drawings during the development stage of robots are often still in the iterative stage. Whether the structure is conducive to processing, whether the tolerance labeling is reasonable, and whether the material selection is appropriate, if these issues are only discovered on the machine, the rework cost is extremely high. A reliable processing factory will provide DFM review before accepting orders to help customers avoid processing risks during the drawing stage.

3、 How do precision component manufacturers grow from traditional processing to the robot track?

The explosion of the robotics industry has brought huge opportunities to precision parts processing manufacturers, but it is not easy to choose and enter this track. Many traditional CNC machining factories are accustomed to processing large quantities of single varieties of orders. Faced with the characteristics of "multiple varieties, small batches, and high complexity" of robot parts, they need to complete systematic capability upgrades.

1、Complete the process chain: Core processes have their own coverage and do not rely on outsourcing

2、Establish flexible production capacity: quickly switch lines, flexibly schedule production, and adapt to the pace of research and development

3、Provide technical pre service: help customers avoid processing risks during the drawing stage

4、Building a precision testing system: high-precision equipment+full process quality traceability (certified by industry related quality management systems)

Taking Shenzhen Huiwen Zhizao as an example, this manufacturer has grown along this path. From the initial stage of team formation in 2010, we focused on traditional precision machining. In just four years, we seized the opportunity in the field of robotics and invested in high-end equipment such as five axis linkage and turning milling composite, establishing our own production line for the entire process chain. We have achieved a self leap from being able to make parts to being able to do well in robot parts.

At present, Huiwen Intelligent Manufacturing has a factory area of 20000 square meters and is equipped with 370+processing equipment, covering various materials such as aluminum alloy, stainless steel, titanium alloy, PEEK, etc. It has provided robot precision parts services to many leading enterprises in the industry such as Lenovo, Xinsong, Xiaomi Ecological Chain, and Beijing Institute of Technology.

As a service provider in the field of precision robot parts processing in Shenzhen, Huiwen Zhizao has passed ISO9001 and IATF16949 quality management system certifications. It is a national high-tech enterprise and a specialized and innovative enterprise that can provide full stage OEM services for parts such as humanoid robots, mechanical dogs, flexible robotic arms, bionic robots, medical robots, etc., from single piece sampling to medium to large-scale production.

Yushu G1 has completed live surgery, which shows us the enormous potential of humanoid robots in the medical field. But under the trend, it is also worth paying attention to the entire industry chain service providers that support all of this, and robot precision parts processing is an indispensable part of it. Processing quality is the necessary physical cornerstone of robot performance, directly determining the upper limit of motion accuracy, lifespan, and reliability. For many robotics companies, finding a precision machining partner with a complete process chain, a sound testing system, and flexible delivery capabilities is a crucial step in moving products from research and development to mass production.

If you need a precision machining plan or quotation for humanoid robots, please feel free to provide drawings for consultation.