#Ball Screw (17)

The Wheeled Humanoid Supply Chain Deep Dive: Omnidirectional Chassis, Lifting Columns and Ball Screws — Who Builds In-House, Who Buys

Wheeled-base (half-body) humanoids are the fastest-moving form factor of the humanoid race: over 40% of humanoid products launched globally in 2025 use wheeled chassis, with travel speed 3-5x that of bipeds, 60%+ energy savings, and system cost one order of magnitude lower. Based on public sources and vendor research, this article dissects the chassis and lift designs of leading players (Galbot, AgiBot, UBTECH, Pudu, Astribot, Yifei, Zhipingfang, Topstar) across mecanum, omni-wheel, four-steer-four-drive and dual-differential chassis and screw / rigid-chain / belt lifting mechanisms; maps the supplier landscape (SEER, WIMAI, SLAMTEC, JIECANG and more); and answers the core question — in-house or outsourced? The answer: chassis and lift mechanisms are overwhelmingly developed in-house; outsourcing concentrates on commodity parts like wheels, motors and screws.

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Wheeled humanoidsOmnidirectional chassisLifting columnBall ScrewSupply chain

Ball Screw Linear Actuator - MUK65-0141-2005-1-RA-0 - Length: 141mm Profile Rail Carriage

Ball screw actuator 141 mm, 20 mm screw 5 mm lead, class 7 (52 um/300 mm), max load 8500 N.

COMPONENT

Ball ScrewProfiled RailHigh rigidityClass7

Ball Screw Linear Actuator PLA055S-01AXX-0283-1CD2I 283mmx055mmx055mm

Ball screw actuator 283 mm, class 10 screw 5 mm lead, 55 mm body, 200 lb horizontal payload.

COMPONENT

Ball ScrewActuatorsCam RollerHigh Load

Ball Screw Linear Actuator w/ NEMA 8 Motor, Cylindrical Nut, 6mmx1mmx150mm BSR0601ATXR-0150-CNS-080-NNN-N

Ball Screw Linear Actuator with a Grade 10 Ball Screw of 6mm diameter, 1mm lead and 150mm length. This is a key part of our miniature metric ball screw motor series. Ideal for small-scale, high-precision applications, this model combines sleek design with robust functionality, featuring a cylindrical-style nut and compatibility with NEMA 08 motors. Miniature metric ball screw motor. Diameter: 6 mm; Lead: 1 mm; Length: 150 mm. Compatible with NEMA 08 motor. Cylindrical-style

COMPONENT

Ball ScrewLinear actuatorsMiniature transmissionNEMA 8

BSC-AAM-SFVR Rolled Ball Screw Assembly

BSC-AAM-SFVR rolled ball screw, 12 mm dia, 5 mm lead, right helix, 500 mm length, 30 mm nut OD.

COMPONENT

Ball ScrewRolled Lead ScrewRight-HandedLinear Transmission

BSC-AAM SFK Ball Screw Assembly

BSC-AAM ball screw assembly, 6 mm dia, 1 mm lead, 250 mm travel, Ca=111 N.

COMPONENT

Ball ScrewMiniature LinearPrecision transmissionFlange Nut

TBI Motion Rolled Ball Screw Series (Ø6-32 mm, C7/C5, shafts to 6 m)

TBI Motion (Taiwan) rolled ball screws are thread-rolled for smoother operation and cost efficiency, covering Ø6-32 mm shafts with 1-64 mm leads, ball Ø0.8-6.35 mm, accuracy C10/C7/C5 (e300 = 50 µm at C7), standard shaft lengths 1000-6000 mm; nuts span K/V/U/Y/YA/BSH/SQ types with P0 preload, widely used in automation, robot transfer axes and AGVs.

COMPONENT

Ball ScrewRolled Lead ScrewRolledTransmission

TBI Motion SCI/SCNI Precision Ground Ball Screws (Ø16-80 mm)

TBI Motion SCI/SCNI precision ground ball screw series covers shaft diameters Ø16-80 mm with leads 4-10 mm; dynamic load rating up to 7346 kgf, static up to 31953 kgf and axial stiffness up to 109 kgf/μm; SCNI uses longer nuts for higher load capacity with dual-circuit recirculation for smooth running - built for machine tools, injection molding and heavy robot axes.

COMPONENT

Ball ScrewTBI MotionHeavy-loadHigh rigidity

TBI Motion BSH Precision Ground Ball Screws (Ø8-25 mm)

TBI Motion BSH precision ground ball screw series: shaft diameters Ø8-25 mm with leads 2-10 mm; dynamic load rating up to 2954 kgf, static up to 7295 kgf and axial stiffness up to 41 kgf/μm; external circulation for Ø12 and below, internal circulation for Ø14 and above giving compact, quiet nuts - suited to machine-tool axes, robot travel axes and automation.

COMPONENT

Ball ScrewTBI MotionPrecision GrindingInternal Circulation

TBI Motion SFK Precision Ground Miniature Ball Screws (Ø4-25 mm)

TBI Motion (Taiwan) SFK is a precision ground miniature ball screw series: shaft diameters Ø4-25 mm with leads 1-5 mm including ultra-small Ø4/Ø6 sizes; dynamic load rating up to 957 kgf, static up to 2381 kgf, axial stiffness up to 48 kgf/μm and nut ODs from only Ø10 mm, with left-hand helix options on selected sizes - compact and precise for small robot joints, semiconductor and medical equipment.

COMPONENT

Ball ScrewTBI MotionPrecision GrindingMiniature Leadscrew

Tolomatic B3S Ball Screw Rodless Linear Actuators (up to 12.0 kN)

Tolomatic (USA) B3S is a ball-screw-driven rodless electric actuator family in three sizes B3S10/15/20: max force 1.8-12.0 kN (410-2,700 lbf), max load 268-911 kg, speed to 1,524 mm/s (60 in/s) and strokes to 3,454 mm (136 in); the rodless design is compact with long travel and high stiffness for transfer, pick-and-place, clamping and long-stroke linear axes in automation and humanoid lines.

COMPONENT

Rodless Electric CylinderRodless ActuatorBall ScrewTolomaticLinear actuators

FAULHABER 06L/08L/10L Series Precision Linear Actuator Components

FAULHABER (Germany) linear actuators convert coreless DC / brushless rotary motion into linear travel via precision lead or recirculating ball screw nuts: 06L (6 mm dia, 3-25 N continuous axial force), 08L (8 mm, 4-40 N) and 10L (10 mm, 5-200 N; high-load HL version 100-200 N), with reduction ratios 4-1024; trapezoidal lead screw and ball screw nut options (ball version for higher speed/efficiency), custom stroke and length, paired with 0308-1028 DC/BL micro motors (up to 90,000 r/min) and planetary/spur gearheads (i 4-4096, zero-backlash versions), used in robotics, laboratory automation, medical and optical positioning.

COMPONENT

Linear actuatorsElectric cylindersLead screwsBall ScrewFaulhaber

HIWIN Super S Series High-Speed Ballscrew (FSC Standard, Ø14-25)

HIWIN Super S series are high-speed quiet ballscrews with Dm-N up to 220,000, 5-7 dB lower running noise and 18-32% less space/weight; the FSC standard type covers Ø14-25 shafts with 8-20 mm leads, e.g. 20-8K5 at Ca 2960 kgf / C0a 6505 kgf / axial stiffness K 58 kgf/μm and 25-15K5 at Ca 1980 kgf / C0a 5730 kgf, series-wide Ca 920-2960 kgf and stiffness 24-63 kgf/μm, targeting humanoid robot linear joints, semiconductor equipment and high-speed precision drives.

COMPONENT

Ball ScrewLead screwsShangyiLinear TransmissionHumanoid

TBI Motion SFV External-Circulation Heavy-Load Ball Screw

The SFV is TBI Motion's (Taiwan) external-circulation heavy-load ball screw series: smooth external ball recirculation and a patented high-load nut deliver high rigidity and high capacity, with an economical design suited to volume production and large diameter/lead applications. The range spans Ø12–Ø80 mm shafts and 4–25 mm leads across 82 models; representative SFV03208-4.8 rates Ca 3962 kgf dynamic / C0a 11547 kgf static, with axial stiffness 18–74 kgf/μm over the Ø12–Ø32 range.

COMPONENT

Ball ScrewTBI MotionSFVExternal LoopHeavy-load

DINGS Ball Screw Linear Actuator Series

DINGS (controlled subsidiary of Jiangsu Leili) ball screw linear actuators in six frame sizes (14-57 mm), all external-drive, plus 28/42 DLG integrated rail-guided and DRS non-guided designs; 90-96% transmission efficiency (vs 26-70% for trapezoidal screws), 0.005-0.1 mm/step; C7 standard accuracy with C5/C3 options, Ф0.8 balls, SCM415H screw/nut at HRC58-62, rated dynamic 680-880 N / static 1200-1500 N, axial backlash ≤0.02 mm; optional encoders (to 1000/2000 resolution) and power-off brake (24 V, 5.5 W, >0.3 N·m holding, 2M-cycle life, <60 dB); for X-Y tables, medical devices, semiconductor and valve control.

COMPONENT

Ball ScrewLinear actuatorsLead Screw Stepper MotorDingzhi TechnologyDINGS

Hengli Hydraulic Precision Ball Screw Assembly

Hengli ball screw assemblies span BHSK/KHSK heavy-load, BRP/BRS external-circulation, DWP/DWS internal-circulation and KRP end-cap series; shaft 16-140 mm, lead 4-80 mm, accuracy C0-C10, DN up to 160,000, for robotics, machine tools and injection molding linear drives.

COMPONENT

Lead screwsBall ScrewHengli HydraulicHengli

THK Ball Screw BNK Series

THK ball screws roll balls between shaft and nut for high efficiency: driving torque under one third of sliding screws, zero backlash, high rigidity, micro-feed and high-speed feed. The finished-shaft-end precision BNK04-BNK16 series covers screw shaft diameters 4-16 mm with leads 1-20 mm for precision positioning, alongside caged-ball, full-ball, rolled and rotary ball screw lines.

COMPONENT

Ball ScrewTHKBNKPrecision positioning