The support shaft serves as a core load-bearing and transmission component of humanoid robot joints. Subject to alternating loads over long-term operation, it features extremely high precision requirements for shaft journals, micropores, oil grooves and mating end faces. Residual tiny oil stains, cutting chips and grinding dust will accelerate bearing wear, cause jamming and abnormal noise, and directly impair the robot’s gait stability, positioning accuracy and service life. Traditional cleaning methods including spraying, manual wiping and conventional ultrasonic cleaning struggle to penetrate micropores and narrow gaps. They tend to leave contaminants behind, risk scratching precision shaft surfaces, and suffer from inconsistent cleaning results, which can no longer meet the stringent standards for large-scale mass production of humanoid robots.

Specializing in precision vacuum ultrasonic cleaning, Buck has developed an integrated cleaning solution tailored for humanoid robot support shafts to address the cleaning challenges of precision shaft parts. The complete process covers vacuum ultrasonic degreasing, high-frequency ultrasonic fine cleaning, multi-stage pure water rinsing, and vacuum/nitrogen drying. In a vacuum environment, trapped air bubbles inside micropores and tiny crevices are eliminated, allowing ultrasonic cavitation energy to fully reach hidden areas. It efficiently strips cutting oil, grinding fluid, micron-sized debris and polishing residues from the shaft surface and deep inside micropores. The whole cleaning process involves no rigid contact, so the high-precision shaft journal surface will not be scratched, and geometric tolerances remain intact, preserving the fine surface finish of support shafts at Ra 0.4 μm level.

Buck equipment adopts 316L stainless steel chambers with electropolished pipelines and a multi-stage filtration system to strictly control the cleanliness of cleaning media and prevent secondary contamination. Process parameters can be customized for support shafts of different materials and specifications. Ultrasonic frequency, temperature and cycle time are programmable, supporting flexible production of multiple types of joint support shafts. After cleaning, the cleanliness consistently meets VDA19 and ISO16232 standards for automotive and precision components. Particle residues are well controlled, with no water stains or oxidation spots after drying, ready for subsequent assembly.

To meet the automation demands of humanoid robot production lines, Buck cleaning systems can be equipped with gantry manipulators and loading/unloading mechanisms, and connected to the production MES system. Full automation of cleaning, inspection and drying is realized, with cycle time seamlessly matched with machining and assembly processes. Manual intervention is greatly reduced and the yield rate is steadily improved. Amid the rapid industrialization of humanoid robots, component cleanliness has become a key factor restricting joint reliability. With stable and controllable cleaning performance and flexible adaptability, Buck’s vacuum ultrasonic cleaning solution provides reliable assurance for core transmission parts such as humanoid robot support shafts, reducer shafts and joint pins. It enables smooth and durable operation of robot joints and supports high-quality mass production of the humanoid robot industry.