Powerful bearings in innovative ski sledge seat

• What was needed: Plain bearing made of iglidur® G
• Requirements: Compactness, lightness, thinness, ease of assembly, freedom from maintenance and performance of the bearings
• Industry: Medical technology, sports
• Success for the customer: The plain bearings made of igldiur G combine the requirements specified by the manufacturer in one system. This meant that all rotary axes could be equipped with the right product version from a single source.

This application is an innovative sled, the "Skionic", which allows you to ski in a seated position. This makes the product a world first. The construction can be controlled with the feet, while the inclination of the ski system can be influenced with the hands. In a separate version suitable for the disabled, both the steering and the tilt can be controlled with the hands. Skionic is manufactured by an NGO/aid organisation in Lebanon (NGO is called arcenciel, see www.arcenciel.org).
The challenge lay in the bearing of the four rotary axes of the carriage. As high loads are placed on the system, the bearings had to be compact, light, thin, easy to assemble, maintenance-free and efficient.

Today, plain bearings made of iglidur® G are used on all four rotary axes, which combine all five requirements for compactness, lightness, thinness, ease of assembly, freedom from maintenance and performance. Seven plain bearings are used for the four joints on one carriage: Two iglidur® G flanged bushings (GFI-1618-16) and one iglidur® G plain bushing (GSI-1618-24) are used for the rotary axes of the rear ski joints. The manufacturer also uses two iglidur G flanged bushings (GFI-1618-16) for the rotary axis of the centre tilt lever as well as an iglidur® G flanged bushing (GFI-1618-16) and a sliding bushing (GSI-1618-16) for the rotary axis of the front ski. The version for the disabled uses the same bearings. Smaller bearings (GFI or GSI-1214) are used for the children's version.