How to Design a Cycloidal Drive for Robot Actuator Module!

This video is a guideline of how to design a cycloidal disc for a cycloidal drive gear. On this tutorial, I am using Solidworks and a python script to generate a parametic equation for a cycloidal disc.

If you have a good plan of a hardware such as bearing size, pin, and standard parts you want to use, you should use that as a constrain and adjust the design parameters on sketch diagram to make sure that your cycloidal disc will fit perfectly.

For more detail about research papers.
- Build A Cycloidal Drive with Solidworks by Omar Younis
- Cycloid vs. Harmonic Drives for use in High Ratio, Single Stage Robotic Transmissions by Jonathon W. Sensinger
- Design And Application Guidelines For Cycloid Drives With Machining Tolerances by D. C. H. YANG
- Efficiency of High-Sensitivity Gear Trains, Such as
Cycloid Drives by Jonathon W. Sensinger
- On the lobe profile design in a cycloid reducer using instant velocity center by Joong-Ho Shin, Soon-Man Kwon
- Unified Approach to Cycloid Drive Profile, Stress, and Efficiency Optimization by Jonathon W. Sensinger

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[dhruvbose]

This needs more views! Great explanation. Do a simulation next since that's trickier than the geometry.

[brunobock]

Your video is very good. Lots of tutorials only cover the cicloidal gear and not the entire drive but yours is very complete!

[omaryounis]

Wow! Didn't think anyone read my tutorial! I'm glad it was useful dude!

[TheRainHarvester]

I think these are getting more and more popular. It's good to see new videos on them!
Thanks!
-TheRainHarvester

[brandonb]

This video was a huge help. No one ever mentions the pre-calcs that help it run. Apparently SW has some order of operations issues and the equation straight out of the design sheet everyone has been using doesn't work as pasted.

[RezaAbdolahi]

Thank you for sharing your experiences and guidance on designing a cycloidal disk! Your explanation was incredibly helpful and has clarified many points I was struggling with. I’m currently working on a similar project and would love to dive deeper into this topic. If possible, may I kindly ask if you have any notes, diagrams, or additional resources that you could share? Your expertise is truly inspiring and much appreciated. Thanks again!

[moisesg.]

Thanks a lot for your job and sharing this information. The order of the content is very cleary and eficently. Python + SolidWorks?!! Wow... Every day is a learning experience!
Greetings form Mexico!!

[m_jan]

THANK YOU SOO MUCH! I am very new to all this and i have been looking for something like this for sooo long. Thank you soo much for the effort!

[antonwinter]

great elegant design. i imagine this is not cheap to get made. do you have your own cnc mill?

[mannyshergill]

Strange that Im using the exact same method with exactly the same parameters but solidworks runs into an error saying the equations are invalid

[mosthed]

Are the scripts you mention available anywhere? I didn't see them linked on the cycloidal drive section of your site, unless I just missed it?

[danielh.]

I see you are using a lot of bearings around the cyclodial disk in your metal version. But you didn't use them in your 3d printed prototype right?
Is there a big difference in accuracy or something else?
Because I would like to make a 3d printed cyclodial gearbox for robotics application (similar to your prototype) . Would you recommend using these Bearings or could I leave them out like you did in your first version? (would it be a good place to cheap out on?)
Are the CAD files for the Cyclodial Gearboxes you made for download somewhere?
I really appreciate the content you make!!

[whifflorant_playz]

Could you share the python script for the cycloidal disc equation generator

[DytiscusUA]

Nice. nice, nice!
I have a self-made CNC, its accuracy is 0.05 mm. Will this be enough to make such a gearbox?
Is it better to order on professional equipment? To make, for example, 0.01 mm.
I'm thinking of using aluminum bronze to reduce friction.

[danielh.]

It took me a while but i finally got the method working in Autodesk Inventor as well. Thanks for the video, it really helped a lot!

[yukseldemir]

Hello there,
Excellent presentation...
Can I learn how you do the torque calculation?
I want to calculate for my 1 to 30 ( ratio 1:30) project.
thank you so much.

[Luczias]

Hi ! What is the estimated backlash/lost motion that you get with your reducer ?

[chrisgraham]

Looks like a pretty slick design! From the shots at the end where you move the arm around by hand, it looks like it backdrives pretty easily; do you have any idea what the backdrive efficiency and starting torque are?

[zakel]

Thanks for the video, i'm planning to get position from the outshaft, i'm checking the magnetic encoder AS5311 and a magnetic ring. They use the same methode to get position from a rotary table of a handmill

[scottcheung]

very good explanations thank you! What material are the cycloidal disc made of? they seem to have a yellow-ish color..what material are they??