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The robust drill on the robot arm of the Mars Rover Curiosity helps scoop rock dust on Mars – a milestone for researchers. A friction spring made of stainless steel dampens the forces generated during the drilling process and prevents any resonance phenomena.

Many power transmission applications, including gearboxes, require a reliable connection between a solid and hollow shaft. This type of connection, however, only works well if the solid shaft outside diameter and hollow shaft inside diameter have been properly machined to exact dimensional tolerances and finishes. These precision machining factors drive up costs and limit the design freedom of solid-to-hollow shaft connections.

Bending moments are an unfortunate fact of life in many power transmission applications. But pulley-and-drum systems have an especially high risk of failure when exposed to these moment loads.