Lightweight and economical bearing technology in aircraft chassis and control system

• What was needed: iglidur ® plain bearing
• Requirements: Lightweight, maintenance-free and inexpensive bearing components were needed for this completely new aircraft design.
• Industry: Aerospace, aviation industry
• Success for the customer: With iglidur® bearings, the customer opted for a system with low weight compared to metal bearings, which works lubrication-free and thus free of maintenance.

This completely new aircraft was manufactured for a German company. Currently, the aviation industry is very conservative and it is not easy to change components or experiment with aircraft design. This application, on the other hand, represents a completely new aircraft on the market, and those responsible decided to use polymer components because of their advantages, including for the bearings. The prototype of the Explorer aircraft is currently being tested and plans are being drawn up for series production. For the engineer responsible, the bearing products from other manufacturers were too heavy, maintenance-intensive and expensive.

Polyer bearing products were increasingly used, primarily in the control components but also in the chassis area. Specifically, those responsible decided in favour of plain bearings with flanges made of the material iglidur® J. The advantages they offer for the aircraft are obvious: unlike metal bearings, they are lightweight and also lubrication-free and therefore maintenance-free. The customer therefore not only saves on the purchase costs for the bearing, but also on ongoing operation due to the lack of maintenance work. The customer can choose from a large portfolio of bearing rods and flange bearings of various dimensions. The prototype of the machine is now in the test phase.