Lightweight and robust polymer bearing technology for Moon Buggy in NASA competition

Kunststofflagertechnik helps young designers to victory in the NASA MoonBuggy World Championship.

The "International NASA MoonBuggy Race" is an annual competition organised by NASA in which young designers compete against each other with their vehicles. On the particularly demanding hilly parkour, the teams are confronted with challenges that are very similar to those on the surface of Mars. The young designers from the NASA Space Education Team from Leipzig won the competition thanks to their particularly lightweight yet robust polymer bearing technology.

Profile

What was needed: polymer bearing technology at various points in the buggy, such as in the differential gear or the wheel suspension
Requirements: The bearing technology had to withstand high forces permanently and be lightweight.
Industry: Aerospace, aerospace industry
Success for the customer: The plastic bearing technology was able to contribute to the young designers making it to the top of the podium with their buggy. The glowing orange igus® MoonBuggy trade show was on permanent display for a year at the US Space & Rocket Centre in Huntsville, Alabama, next to the original MoonBuggy.

Problem

The MoonBuggy World Championship is a competition where 4-wheel buggies from all over the world compete against each other on a NASA test track. The course corresponds to the conditions on the surface of the moon. Conquering this hilly landscape is a demanding challenge for teams and materials. Driving against the clock requires enormous muscle power, which is transmitted to the four wheels via the gearbox. At speeds of up to 80 km/h, the force exerted on all vehicle components is extremely high and beyond normal cycling requirements.

Solution

It is precisely at these points that plastic bearings are located, which fulfil these requirements and at the same time significantly reduce the weight of the buggy thanks to their lightness. Last year, the young designers prioritised the use of future-oriented materials and were able to gain initial experience with plastic bearings. Among other things, this contributed to their buggy making it to the top of the podium and becoming world champion. In the following year, numerous lubrication-free polymer bearings were again installed in the buggy. Several of them support the differential gear and the wheel suspension, to name just two examples.

Overview of iglidur plastic bearing technology

Overview of igubal plastic bearing technology

igus® MoonBuggy in the exhibition at the Space & Rocket Centre in Huntsville, Alabama

During a visit to igus® at the main site in Cologne, the young designers of the NASA Space Education Team from Leipzig were able to gain an insight into where their bearings come from and how they are produced and tested so that they can withstand conditions such as those in the MoonBuggy trade show. The many impressions they gained during the visit gave them lots of new ideas. In the next generation of the MoonBuggy, even more metal components are to be replaced by plastic solutions. This year, the team brought home four awards from the "International NASA MoonBuggy Race" and a very special surprise for igus®. The glowing orange igus® MoonBuggy will remain on permanent display at the US Space & Rocket Centre in Huntsville, Alabama, for a period of one year. There it stands next to the original MoonBuggy.

We are very happy about this. Thanks to young and courageous developers and designers such as the young designers of the NASA Space Education Team from Leipzig, plastic will play an increasingly important role in the future and many new innovative solutions and applications will be created.