Maintenance-free bearings in aerial work platforms

• Application: Lifting mechanism for aerial work platforms
• What was needed: Plain bearing
• Requirements: Harsh environmental conditions, long work cycles
• Product: iglide® G
• Application: Assembly work indoors and outdoors, etc.
• Success for the customer: The dry-running and maintenance-free bearings from igus®

For aerial work platforms: Aerial work platforms are used wherever work needs to be carried out safely and efficiently at great heights. They enable precise working at heights with simultaneous stability and personal safety and provide the necessary mobility, stability and long extension lengths at different working heights.

Aerial work platforms are often used in plant construction, building construction, bridge inspection and maintenance and other technical construction projects that normally take place outdoors in the sunshine, rain, dust and dirt. The working conditions are extremely harsh. The lifting mechanism is the most critical part, often connected by a hinge point with many links. The hinge point uses traditional metal bearings or coated roller bearings, which have the problem that they rust quickly, wear out and the coating peels off when corroded by sun, rain and dust. Furthermore, conventional plain bearings need to be lubricated regularly. In addition, most lifts are rented out, which leads to long operating times, long work cycles and therefore high maintenance costs.

To solve the problem of the bearing's short service life and high maintenance costs, the customer decided in favor of the G-series products from igus®. Our plain bearings are corrosion-free, resistant to dust and dirt, and do not require maintenance.