Page 4 - Industrial_Technology_EXTRA_14th Septembert_2020_Classical

BEARINGS...

Powering through the desert

using just solar power

A solar powered car using Igus plain bearings has raced its way across more than

1,800 miles of Australian desert, racing from Darwin to Adelaide in under a week
gus plain bearings have helped Team consuming. In addition, the bearings we used
Sonnenwagen win sixth place in the World needed to be wear-resistant and lightweight. The
Solar Challenge 2020. The team, made up of lighter the solar-powered car, the more efficient it is
Ia group of students in Germany, approached to drive and the further we could go. A huge thank
igus, requesting lightweight, wear-resistant, and you to Igus for all the expert help and support.”
lubrication-free iglidur plain bearing technology Igus lightweight iglidur plain bearing technology
made of durable tribo-polymers. was integral to the design of the solar-powered car
Kersten Heckmann, of Team Sonnenwagen, design. Self-adjusting igubal clevis joints were used
commented: “The Igus bearings were key because in the car’s steering system. Also, iglidur J was
they literally held the car together. If a bearing selected for the plain bearings used in the rear
failed, the repair would have been very time- wheel suspension. In the hinges of the cover lock

September 2020 • INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY EXTRA • p4