Ball screws for the aerospace industry
They drift into space
The Swiss thread specialist Eichenberger manufactures three ball screw drives for space travel: from 2020, couplings are to be made between the ISS and the reusable space glider "Dream Chaser".
The absolutely safe and reliable docking unit is central to this. At the heart of this docking system are three strong, corrosion-resistant ball screws with end cap ball return, type Carry type KGE, 16 x 16. Space travel poses particular challenges for the material. The first major hurdle after the rocket launch with extreme acceleration and vibration is the vacuum: it affects everything that is liquid or can evaporate, including lubricants. Greases, which are solid on earth, evaporate in a vacuum, which is why moving parts have to manage without lubrication despite the highest service life requirements.
Another challenge is the temperature: the temperature of the components in an Earth orbit depends on the material that is irradiated. For the docking station, temperatures of minus 50 to plus 90 degrees Celsius are assumed. In addition, ultraviolet light, X-rays, particles with a high energy charge and atmospheric atoms affect the material, making it more susceptible to corrosion. Eichenberger wants to prove that the extraordinary performance features of the Carry stainless steel ball screw drive with the integrated high-performance plastic in the ball return can withstand the aggressive environment in space in a functionally reliable, corrosion-free and wear-free manner. Thread rolling using the cold rolling process produces very precise geometries with a high surface quality. pb
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