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Moonbuggy runs on polymer plain bearings

in an international competition on NASA's testing ground

The Great Moonbuggy Race is a competition in which 4-wheeled buggies from all over the world compete against each other on NASA's testing ground. The course reflects the conditions prevailing on the Moon's surface. Conquering this hilly landscape constitutes a major challenge for teams and materials alike. Racing against time demands a great deal of muscle power that is transmitted to the 4 wheels through the gearbox. With speeds of up to 80 km/h, extreme forces are exerted on these vehicle components that are far beyond the demands places on normal bicycles.

It is precisely at theses places that plastic bearings can be found that meet these demands and at the same time provide the buggy with significant weight savings thanks to their lightness.
Last year already, the young designers primarily used materials of the future and were able to make their first experiences with plastic bearings. These bearings were one of the factors contributing to their position right at the top of the podium as world champions with their buggy.

With their visit to Cologne, the NASA Space Education Team from Leipzig were able to gain insights into where their bearings come from and how they are manufactured and tested to enable them to withstand even those conditions prevailing in the Moonbuggy.
The many new impressions they gained during their visit here immediately gave them many new ideas. The plans are for even more metal components to be replaced with plastic solutions in the new Moonbuggy.

We are very pleased about this. Thanks to young and courageous developers and constructors like these, plastics will take on an increasingly important role in future and provide many new innovative solutions and applications.