--- title: "Nidec FLEXWAVE WPG gearhead specs" description: "Nidec FLEXWAVE WPG housed, supported strain-wave gearhead for an externally selected motor; frame, ratio and motor mount code define the configuration." canonical: https://actuatorlist.com/actuators/nidec-flexwave-wpg last-updated: 2026-11-01T14:05:43.000Z --- # FLEXWAVE WPG series (strain-wave gearhead) by Nidec Drive Technology (Nidec-Shimpo) > Nidec FLEXWAVE WPG housed, supported strain-wave gearhead for an externally selected motor; frame, ratio and motor mount code define the configuration. ## Specifications | Spec | Value | | --- | --- | | Category | Harmonic / Precision | | Peak torque | n/a: Family-level catalog value; confirm frame, ratio and variant. Reducer/sensor assembly, not an integrated motor and drive. | | Rated torque | n/a: Family-level catalog value; confirm frame, ratio and variant. Reducer/sensor assembly, not an integrated motor and drive. | | Max speed | n/a: Family-level catalog value; confirm frame, ratio and variant. Reducer/sensor assembly, not an integrated motor and drive. | | Gear ratio | 50:1-160:1: Family-level catalog value; confirm frame, ratio and variant. Reducer/sensor assembly, not an integrated motor and drive. | | Weight | n/a: Family-level catalog value; confirm frame, ratio and variant. Reducer/sensor assembly, not an integrated motor and drive. | | Torque density | n/a: Family-level catalog value; confirm frame, ratio and variant. Reducer/sensor assembly, not an integrated motor and drive. | | Price | quote only: Family-level catalog value; confirm frame, ratio and variant. Reducer/sensor assembly, not an integrated motor and drive. | | Price per Nm | n/a: Family-level catalog value; confirm frame, ratio and variant. Reducer/sensor assembly, not an integrated motor and drive. | | Backdrivable | Legacy catalog placeholder; not a measured family rating. See engineering notes. | | Backlash | Legacy catalog placeholder; not a measured family rating. See engineering notes. | | Voltage | n/a: Family-level catalog value; confirm frame, ratio and variant. Reducer/sensor assembly, not an integrated motor and drive. | | Peak current | n/a: Family-level catalog value; confirm frame, ratio and variant. Reducer/sensor assembly, not an integrated motor and drive. | | Communication | n/a | | Control modes | n/a | | Encoder | Legacy catalog placeholder; not a measured family rating. See engineering notes. | | Integrated driver | no | | Availability | in production | | Data status | Family-level evidence: confirm variant | ## Use cases - robot arm - industrial robot joint - machine tool - semiconductor ## Engineering notes Family-level evidence reviewed October 1, 2026. Manufacturer-published data is not independent bench validation. Examples below are not selected inventory SKUs; existing catalog fields are not replaced with family ranges. ### Manufacturer specifications WPG is a single-stage, motor-mountable gearhead, not a motor-and-drive module. Frames 35 and 42 do not support every ratio offered in larger frames. [Nidec WPG, ratio matrix](https://www.nidec-dtc.com/product/wpg-gearhead/). For frame 50, ratio 100, the [FLEXWAVE catalog, printed page 68](https://www.nidec-dtc.com/wp-content/uploads/downloads/catalogs/nidec-flexwave-strain-wave-gear-reducer-catalog.pdf) lists nominal 52 Nm, start-stop 107 Nm and catalog life 10,000 hours at 2,000 rpm input and nominal torque. The [WPG brochure, page 2](https://www.nidec-dtc.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/WPG-Brochure.pdf) separately lists 191 Nm emergency-stop torque; it is not continuous or normal start-stop torque. ### Conditions and revision conflicts The [WPG brochure, page 2 footnote 4](https://www.nidec-dtc.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/WPG-Brochure.pdf) defines nominal input speed as an intermittent-operation average and discourages continuous operation. No duty percentage follows from that statement. The [gearhead lubrication section, printed page 75](https://www.nidec-dtc.com/wp-content/uploads/downloads/catalogs/nidec-flexwave-strain-wave-gear-reducer-catalog.pdf) specifies factory-sealed Sumiplex SFB No.1 grease and 0–40°C ambient, not cooling hardware. ### Engineering inference The [product page](https://www.nidec-dtc.com/product/wpg-gearhead/) advertises configurator CAD, but no WPG CAD download was verified in this review. Catalog main-bearing moment rigidity is not drivetrain torsional stiffness. Related WPU efficiency charts do not establish WPG efficiency. Inference assumes the selected drawing and applicable revision are confirmed. Confidence in model completeness is low; no numerical efficiency, cooldown or precision estimate is defensible from this evidence. ### Unknown / confirmation required Numerical product-specific efficiency, cooling hardware, repeated thermal duty/derating, externally measured loaded output repeatability and calibrated simulation support remain unconfirmed in the reviewed material. Unknown is not zero. Encoder or sensor resolution is not output accuracy. Motor voltage, current and motor constants are not applicable to a reducer alone; select a motor/drive separately. Use the [robot actuator selection guide](/guides/robot-actuator-selection) to define the missing measurements and acceptance criteria. ## Sources - [https://www.nidec-dtc.com/product/wpg-gearhead/](https://www.nidec-dtc.com/product/wpg-gearhead/) - [https://www.nidec-dtc.com/wp-content/uploads/downloads/catalogs/nidec-flexwave-strain-wave-gear-reducer-catalog.pdf](https://www.nidec-dtc.com/wp-content/uploads/downloads/catalogs/nidec-flexwave-strain-wave-gear-reducer-catalog.pdf) - [https://www.nidec-dtc.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/WPG-Brochure.pdf](https://www.nidec-dtc.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/WPG-Brochure.pdf) - [https://www.nidec-dtc.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Flexwave\_Catalog\_A4-2025.pdf](https://www.nidec-dtc.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Flexwave_Catalog_A4-2025.pdf) - [https://www.automate.org/products/nidec-shimpo-america/flexwave-zero-backlash-harmonic-gearing](https://www.automate.org/products/nidec-shimpo-america/flexwave-zero-backlash-harmonic-gearing) ## Similar Harmonic / Precision actuators - [EC-A5013-H17-100 (ENCOS)](https://actuatorlist.com/actuators/encos-ec-a5013-h17-100): 142.9 Nm/kg - [EC-A3814-H14-107 (ENCOS)](https://actuatorlist.com/actuators/encos-ec-a3814-h14-107): 138.2 Nm/kg - [LPA-20 (Low Profile Rotary Actuator) (Harmonic Drive LLC)](https://actuatorlist.com/actuators/harmonic-drive-lpa-20): 40.7 Nm/kg - [FHA-14C-100 (FHA-C Mini) (Harmonic Drive LLC)](https://actuatorlist.com/actuators/harmonic-drive-fha-14c-100): 17 Nm/kg - [SHA-CG series (SHA-CG Hollow Shaft Actuator) (Harmonic Drive LLC)](https://actuatorlist.com/actuators/harmonic-drive-sha-cg): n/a ## Machine-readable - JSON: https://actuatorlist.com/api/v1/actuators/nidec-flexwave-wpg - Catalog index for agents: https://actuatorlist.com/llms.txt