Schaeffler says a forming process can cut the cost of humanoid robot gearboxes by 25%

Schaeffler, the German auto and industrial parts maker, says it will start mass-producing the precision gears that sit inside humanoid robot joints in 2027, beginning at factories in Germany before rolling out globally. The company, based in Herzogenaurach, is pitching the move as a step into the supply chain for a market still dominated by small-batch prototypes.

Strain wave gearboxes, the small, high-ratio reducers that turn a motor's fast spin into the slow, strong movement a robot limb needs, typically have to be machined from solid metal. Schaeffler says it has instead developed a cold-forming technique that cuts manufacturing cost by more than 25% and material use by more than 75%, with key steps taking seconds instead of minutes (Schaeffler press release).

The Robot Report, citing the company, puts actuators at roughly half of the cost of building a humanoid robot (The Robot Report). A 25% cut on the gearbox is not a 25% cut on the robot, but it lands on the largest line item.

Schaeffler has separately committed to deploying thousands of Humanoid's humanoid robots across its own manufacturing footprint, giving the supplier an internal customer as it scales. The 25% and 75% figures remain company claims; independent benchmarks of cycle time and unit cost are not yet public.