With the continuous advancement of artificial intelligence and automation technology, humanoid robots are gradually moving from concept to commercial application. This trend not only promotes the technological upgrade of the upstream and downstream of the industrial chain, but also brings new market growth points for key components. Among them, the market demand for bearings, which are the core of connection and transmission, is expected to continue to rise in the next few years.
In humanoid robot systems, joints play a key role in enabling flexible movement, and bearings are one of the core components to achieve this function. Whether it is a reducer, motor or screw assembly, different types of bearings need to be adapted to meet structural and performance requirements. For example, harmonic reducers are usually equipped with crossed roller bearings and flexible bearings; ball bearings or roller bearings are mostly used in motors; and in precision structures such as dexterous hands, hollow cup motors often use small ball bearings or sliding bearings.
Taking the humanoid robot product released by an international company as an example, each device requires a large number of bearings of various types. If the annual shipment volume reaches millions in the future, the new bearing market size brought by this product line alone may exceed 3 billion yuan. In addition, according to the patent layout of two domestic technology companies, it is speculated that when linear joints are used in ankles, wrists and other parts, the application demand for sliding bearings may increase further.
From the perspective of the overall market, bearings are basic components of many high-end equipment and are widely used in many fields such as automobiles, aerospace, and industrial machinery. Rolling bearings occupy a mainstream position due to their low friction coefficient and high operating efficiency, while sliding bearings play a role in specific scenarios due to their strong load-bearing capacity. According to authoritative organizations, the global bearing market size will maintain steady growth in the next few years and is expected to exceed US$240 billion by 2030.
As one of the world’s major bearing producers, China’s bearing industry has developed rapidly in recent years. In 2023, the national bearing output will exceed 20 billion sets, and the industry’s total revenue will be close to 220 billion yuan. Although the global market is still dominated by several leading foreign companies, domestic manufacturers continue to make progress in technology research and development and product quality, and have achieved substitution in many domestic market segments. Especially in the fields of new energy and intelligent manufacturing, the application ratio of domestic bearings continues to increase, creating more opportunities for local companies to participate in high-end market competition.
It is worth noting that the manufacturing process of bearings is complex, involving multiple key process links such as forging, heat treatment, and grinding. Among them, grinding processing has extremely high precision requirements, which directly affects the performance and life of the product. At present, the localization rate of grinding equipment used for bearing production in China is less than half, and high-end equipment still relies on imports. Therefore, improving the technical level of domestic grinding machines will become an important breakthrough in promoting the entire bearing industry to move towards high-end.
In general, the rise of the humanoid robot industry has opened up a new situation for the development of human-machine interaction and intelligent equipment, and has also brought considerable growth potential to bearings and related manufacturing equipment. In this context, domestic companies with technological accumulation and industrialization capabilities are expected to achieve higher-quality development with the help of the trend of domestic substitution.
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