Harmonic Drive

Harmonic Drive contact details

Group head office, Harmonic Drive Systems Inc.

Ichigo Omori Bldg. 4F, 6-25-3 Minami-Oi
Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 140-0013
Japan

Telephone +81 3 5471 7800

Email marketing@hds.co.jp

Website hds.co.jp/english

UK: Harmonic Drive UK Limited

Unit 36, Wolseley Court, Staffordshire Technology Park
Stafford ST18 0GA
United Kingdom

Telephone +44 1785 245190

Email info@harmonicdrive.co.uk

Web harmonicdrive.co.uk

Europe: Harmonic Drive SE

Hoenbergstraße 14
65555 Limburg/Lahn
Germany

Telephone +49 6431 5008-0

Email info@harmonicdrive.de

Web harmonicdrive.de/en

Americas: Harmonic Drive LLC

42 Dunham Ridge
Beverly, Massachusetts 01915
United States

Telephone +1 978 532 1800

Email info@harmonicdrive.net

Web harmonicdrive.net

Show Harmonic Drive headquarters on the map Open in Google Maps →

LinkedIn (Harmonic Drive SE)

Contact details as published by Harmonic Drive SE / Harmonic Drive LLC, checked 2026-10-30. Specify Motion is not affiliated with Harmonic Drive SE / Harmonic Drive LLC.

Harmonic Drive product lines

Who Harmonic Drive is

Harmonic Drive is the brand of the group that commercialised strain wave gearing, the compact, zero-backlash, high-ratio reduction used in robot joints, semiconductor handling, aerospace mechanisms and precision rotary axes. HarmonicDrive® is a registered trademark of the group; strain wave gearing is the generic engineering term.

The group has three main companies that UK engineers will come across. Harmonic Drive Systems Inc. in Tokyo is the listed parent, with its factories in Nagano prefecture. Harmonic Drive SE in Limburg an der Lahn, Germany, develops, produces and sells for Europe and owns Harmonic Drive UK Limited. Harmonic Drive LLC in Beverly, Massachusetts, does the same for the Americas.

History and ownership

The strain wave gear was invented by C. Walton Musser, an American engineer credited by Harmonic Drive SE with more than 250 inventions, who pioneered strain wave gears after the Second World War. The gear uses an elliptical wave generator to flex a thin steel flexspline inside a rigid circular spline, so a small difference in tooth count gives a large ratio in one stage.

Harmonic Drive Systems Inc. was founded in Japan on 27 October 1970, and its group companies page shows Harmonic Drive SE founded in November 1970. The American holding company, HD Systems, Inc., followed in 1987, and Harmonic Drive L.L.C. was formed in 2005. In Japan the group added Harmonic Winbel (motors, 1994), Harmonic Precision (cross roller bearings, 1999) and Harmonic AD (planetary reducers, 2003). Abroad it set up Harmonic Drive Systems (Shanghai) in 2011 and SAMICK ADM in Korea in 2013, in which it holds 51%.

Harmonic Drive Systems Inc. owns 100% of Harmonic Drive SE, Harmonic Drive LLC and HD Systems, Inc. It is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange under securities code 6324, reclassified to the Prime Market on 27 February 2026. It reports 1,349 consolidated employees and consolidated net sales of ¥55,796 million for the year to 31 March 2024.

Product portfolio

The series we list are:

• Cup-type component sets: CSF, the general-purpose set; CSG, its high-torque version; and the very flat CSD.
• Silk-hat (top-hat) sets with large hollow centres: SHF and the high-torque SHG.
• Gear units with output bearings: CPU, the flat hollow-shaft SHD, and the lightweight CPL set.
• Planetary gearheads: HPG precision and HPN value ranges.
• Servo actuators: FHA-C, SHA-SG and SHA-CG hollow-shaft actuators, the solid-shaft RSF, and the flat LPA with a built-in 48 VDC drive.

For selection help, see our gearboxes hub, the harmonic vs planetary vs cycloidal guide and the guide to frameless motor sizing for robot joints.

What Harmonic Drive is known for technically

Strain wave gearing gives a high reduction ratio in a single stage, with essentially no backlash, in a short, light package that can have a hollow centre for cables. Those properties are why it is so widely used in robot wrist and elbow joints, and why a flat actuator built around it can replace a motor, gearbox and bearing stack. The trade-offs are lower torsional stiffness than some cycloidal designs at the same size, and a flexspline whose life depends on staying within the rated torque. Harmonic Drive SE says more than 80% of its products are special versions built to customer specifications, from component sets to custom drives.

When comparing a Harmonic Drive gear with an alternative, check rated, peak and momentary torque, ratio, torsional stiffness, hysteresis loss and lost motion, the output bearing’s moment capacity, hollow-shaft size, input speed limits and the mounting pattern.

Industries served

The parent company describes its reducers as built for industrial robots, semiconductor manufacturing equipment and other systems. Harmonic Drive SE adds machine tools, robotics, aerospace, optics and communications, and says its gears are used on Airbus aircraft and in space.

Global and UK presence

In the UK, Harmonic Drive UK Limited at Staffordshire Technology Park, Stafford, is a subsidiary of Harmonic Drive SE. Harmonic Drive SE also runs subsidiaries in France, Switzerland, Italy and Spain, plus Micromotion GmbH, while Harmonic Drive LLC covers the Americas and the Tokyo parent covers Japan and Asia.

Specify Motion and Harmonic Drive

Specify Motion is independent of the Harmonic Drive group and is not a distributor for it. We can help you source Harmonic Drive gears where available, or propose strain wave gears from our supply network that meet the same published specification, confirmed by an engineer. See our page on Harmonic Drive alternatives or use find a replacement with your current part number.

Contact details at a glance

• Group head office: Harmonic Drive Systems Inc., 6-25-3 Minami-Oi, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 140-0013, Japan, +81 3 5471 7800
• UK: Harmonic Drive UK Limited, Stafford ST18 0GA, +44 1785 245190, info@harmonicdrive.co.uk
• Europe: Harmonic Drive SE, Limburg/Lahn, +49 6431 5008-0, info@harmonicdrive.de
• Americas: Harmonic Drive LLC, Beverly, MA, +1 978 532 1800, info@harmonicdrive.net

Contact details were taken from the group’s own websites on 30 October 2026.

Harmonic Drive history: key dates

1. 1970Harmonic Drive Systems Inc. founded in Japan on 27 October; the German company now known as Harmonic Drive SE founded in November
2. 1987HD Systems, Inc. established as the American holding company
3. 1999Harmonic Precision Inc. founded to produce cross roller bearings
4. 2003Harmonic AD, Inc. founded to produce AccuDrive and HarmonicPlanetary reducers
5. 2005Harmonic Drive L.L.C. founded in Beverly, Massachusetts
6. 2011Harmonic Drive Systems (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. founded
7. 2013SAMICK ADM Co., Ltd. founded in Korea, 51% owned, making precision planetary gears
8. 2026Listing reclassified to the Prime Market of the Tokyo Stock Exchange on 27 February

Harmonic Drive gearboxes

Strain-wave (harmonic) gear

CSF-2A component sets

Harmonic Drive's general-purpose cup-type strain wave gear component set. It covers sizes from tiny instrument gears to very large robot-joint units, with zero backlash.

Strain-wave (harmonic) gear

CSG-2A component sets

A high-torque version of the cup-type strain wave gear set. It carries more torque and lasts longer than CSF in the same size, with zero backlash.

Strain-wave (harmonic) gear

CSD-2A component sets

A very flat cup-type strain wave gear set, about half the axial length of standard sets. It has a hollow through-bore for cables or shafts.

Strain-wave (harmonic) gear

SHF-2A component sets

A silk-hat (top-hat) strain wave gear set with a large hollow centre, for designs that need cables or shafts passing through the gear.

Strain-wave (harmonic) gear

SHG-2A component sets

A high-torque silk-hat strain wave gear set that pairs CSG-level torque with a large hollow centre. It is also sold as SHG-2UH/2SH/2SO gear units.

Strain-wave (harmonic) gear

SHD-2SH gear units

A short, flat hollow-shaft strain wave gear unit with an output bearing. It is about half the length of SHG/HFUS units, for slim rotary axes.

Strain-wave (harmonic) gear

CPU-M / CPU-H / CPU-S gear units

A strain wave gear unit with an integrated tilt-resistant output bearing. It comes in motor-mount (M), hollow-shaft (H) and input-shaft (S) versions.

Strain-wave (harmonic) gear

CPL-2A component sets

A lightweight hollow-shaft gear component set with low inertia and a small outer diameter, for designs that supply their own output bearing. It is also offered with Harmonic Drive's Triangle tooth technology.

Planetary gearbox

HPG Harmonic Planetary gearheads

A precision planetary gearhead for servo motors. It uses a flexible internal gear to keep backlash low over its life, with an optional reduced-backlash grade.

Planetary gearbox

HPN Harmonic Planetary value series

A lower-cost inline planetary gearhead range from Harmonic Drive for general servo applications. It has wider backlash limits than HPG.

Harmonic Drive harmonic actuators

Harmonic actuator

FHA-C hollow-shaft servo actuators

A slim hollow-shaft servo actuator that combines a strain wave gear, AC servo motor and encoder in one flat unit, for direct-drive-style rotary positioning.

Harmonic actuator

SHA-SG hollow-shaft servo actuators

A hollow-shaft servo actuator built on SHG high-torque gearing with a 17-bit absolute encoder option, offered from small to large robot-joint sizes.

Harmonic actuator

SHA-CG hollow-shaft servo actuators

A hollow-shaft servo actuator variant using CSG-based gearing. It is available in 200 VAC and low-voltage 48 VDC versions in the smaller sizes.

Harmonic actuator

RSF servo actuators (17A/20A/25A/32A)

A compact solid-shaft servo actuator that pairs a strain wave gear with an AC servo motor and incremental encoder, for precise rotary motion without a hollow shaft.

Harmonic actuator

LPA low-profile actuator with integrated servo drive

A flat rotary actuator with zero-backlash strain wave gearing, a motor, dual absolute encoders and a 48 VDC servo drive built into one unit. It is controlled over CANopen or EtherCAT.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Harmonic Drive website?

There are several official sites. The group parent, Harmonic Drive Systems Inc., runs hds.co.jp, including investor information. Harmonic Drive SE in Germany runs harmonicdrive.de, Harmonic Drive LLC in the USA runs harmonicdrive.net, and the UK subsidiary runs harmonicdrive.co.uk. UK engineers will usually start with the UK or German site.

What is the Harmonic Drive UK phone number and email?

Harmonic Drive UK Limited, a subsidiary of Harmonic Drive SE, lists +44 1785 245190 and info@harmonicdrive.co.uk. For Europe, Harmonic Drive SE in Limburg lists +49 6431 5008-0 and info@harmonicdrive.de. In the Americas, Harmonic Drive LLC lists +1 978 532 1800 and info@harmonicdrive.net.

Where is the Harmonic Drive headquarters?

The group head office is Harmonic Drive Systems Inc., Ichigo Omori Building 4F, 6-25-3 Minami-Oi, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 140-0013, Japan, with factories in Nagano prefecture. The European headquarters is Harmonic Drive SE, Hoenbergstraße 14, Limburg an der Lahn, Germany, and the American company is in Beverly, Massachusetts.

Who owns Harmonic Drive?

Harmonic Drive Systems Inc. is a publicly listed Japanese company, securities code 6324 on the Prime Market of the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Its group companies page shows that it owns 100% of Harmonic Drive SE in Germany, Harmonic Drive L.L.C. in the USA and its US holding company, plus subsidiaries in Japan, China and Korea.

Does Harmonic Drive have a UK office?

Yes. Harmonic Drive UK Limited, a subsidiary of Harmonic Drive SE, is at Unit 36, Wolseley Court, Staffordshire Technology Park, Stafford ST18 0GA, phone +44 1785 245190, email info@harmonicdrive.co.uk. It serves UK customers for Harmonic Drive gears, gear units and actuators.

What does Harmonic Drive make?

Harmonic Drive makes strain wave gears, the zero-backlash, high-ratio gearing it is known for, as component sets and housed gear units, plus hollow-shaft and compact servo actuators that combine the gear with a motor and encoder. The group also makes precision planetary gearheads and cross roller bearings, used in robots, semiconductor equipment and aerospace.

Sources

1. Harmonic Drive Systems: Corporate information
2. Harmonic Drive Systems: Company sites
3. Harmonic Drive Systems: Group companies
4. Harmonic Drive Systems: General stock information
5. Harmonic Drive Systems: Investor relations (TSE Prime reclassification)
6. Harmonic Drive SE: Harmonic Drive Group and subsidiaries (UK contact details)
7. Harmonic Drive SE: Imprint
8. Harmonic Drive SE: Walton Musser, inventor of strain wave gearing

Figures are summarised from the sources above and from manufacturers' published data on the date shown. Always confirm against the current datasheet for your exact part.