Roller bearings
Franke wire roller bearings in driverless transport systems (AGVs)
Wire roller bearings give you maximum freedom for your ideas. Typical applications for Franke wire roller bearings in electric vehicles are in the drive or steering systems.
Get innovation rolling
New autonomous electric transport systems are revolutionizing logistics. Franke offers the ideal roller bearings for such innovative applications. With Franke's compact and highly customizable wire roller bearings, designers have the greatest possible freedom for their product ideas. Robust and capable of withstanding loads from all sides, wire roller bearings also guarantee a very long service life without any maintenance. Typical applications for Franke wire roller bearings in electric vehicles are in the drive or steering systems.
The key difference between a conventional ball bearing and a Franke wire roller bearing lies in the raceways. In wire roller bearings, the rolling elements do not roll directly on the solid housing rings, but on hardened wire rings inserted there.
The flexibility of this principle allows for freer and simpler design, resulting in better products. Thanks to their patented technology, Franke wire roller bearings offer maximum design freedom without compromising on load capacity. The surrounding structure can be made from a wide range of lightweight materials and its geometry can be optimally adapted to the respective application.
The Franke principle for roller bearings
Franke LER type wire roller bearings are suitable for medium rotational speeds and accuracies. They impress with their smooth running, high dynamics, and compact installation space. The straight contact surfaces allow for easy integration into the surrounding structure and high rigidity. The favorable price makes the LER wire roller bearing an economical solution. LER bearings are usually installed without play. The preload can be individually adjusted depending on requirements.
The new LER1.5 series was specifically developed for use in ultra-compact applications such as HRC robots or medical devices. With an installation space of just 5x6 mm, the new LER 1.5 more than meets the trend toward miniaturization in the handling and automation sector.
Logistics set in motion: Wire roller bearings in industrial trucks
Example 1: Wheel bearing in an omnidirectional driverless transport system (DTS)
Very compact, simple bearings are used for the Mecanum wheels of an omnidirectional AGV. High rigidity is a basic requirement for absorbing the alternating forces. Furthermore, high tilting moments must be taken into account for eccentric loads. In addition, AGV vehicles are very flat and compact in design. This means that the installation space for components in the chassis and drive areas is very limited.
The compact and rigid rectangular profile of the wire roller bearings used allows the load requirements to be fully met. A double bearing arrangement is often used to optimize load absorption. These compact wire roller bearings can be easily integrated into existing wheel designs. The outer and inner diameters remain unaffected. The open raceways and a one-piece plastic band cage with retained rolling elements simplify the installation of the bearing in the housing parts. The bearing rings with rectangular profile can be inserted directly into the housing parts and do not require any complex machining of the bearing seat. In addition, the space-saving design allows for the installation of an internal lip seal. This modular system has already been successfully implemented in several AGV vehicles. In some cases, direct drives integrated into the housing can be combined with the wire roller bearings to create a complete assembly from the drive and bearing.
Example 2: Storage of a steering gear in a driverless transport system (DTS)
Not all manufacturers of driverless transport systems use Mecanum wheels for locomotion. The disadvantages of this technology lie in the complex, expensive mechanics, the relatively low top speed of the vehicles, and the high wear on the rollers. Alternative concepts tend to use more traditional approaches such as turntables or steering motors, for example in three-wheeled chassis. A completely new approach in this direction is the ArgoDrive drive and steering system from EBM-Pabst, in which two motors per wheel are used for steering or propulsion as required by means of a superimposed gear.
All these concepts have in common the need to integrate a steering system into the chassis. This results in an additional requirement for components and installation space, which conflicts with the goal of designing as compact and lightweight a construction as possible. Conventional deep groove ball bearings are insufficient for the task of supporting a steering gear. Problems often arise here with the adjustment and installation of the bearings, so that two deep groove ball bearings often have to be braced against each other, which in turn takes up installation space and increases the installation effort.
Wire roller bearings as ready-to-install slewing rings are the ideal solution. Thanks to their compact design, slewing rings can replace deep groove ball bearings without major design changes. Where two bearings previously had to be clamped together, a preloaded slewing ring now takes over the bearing function. This results in significant time and cost savings. The slewing bearing, designed as a four-point bearing, absorbs loads from all directions. Preloaded and individually adapted to the prevailing load situation, Franke slewing bearings operate reliably, durably, and maintenance-free with consistently low rotational resistance.
Conclusion
Digital transformation, increasing variety, and flexible batch sizes place high demands on logistics and production. Driverless transport systems help to meet these requirements. They will continue to grow in importance in the future and become increasingly autonomous.
Franke wire roller bearings and thin-section bearings are the perfect solution for mounting wheel hubs or swing axles in vehicles with limited installation space. They offer impressive advantages
- Compact dimensions
- light weight
- Smooth running with adjustable preload.
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