Independent testing
This robot is used for inspecting aircraft and carries out thermographic crack tests on the body shell. It moves independently along the aircraft body and positions the measuring sensor precisely in the desired inspection areas. Since the robot also moves vertically and in an overhead position, keeping its weight low was a major priority during development work. For this reason, carbon fibre reinforced plastics, high-strength aluminium and plastic plain bearings from igus® were used. The overall weight of the robot could be reduced by around 15% through the use of plastic plain bearings alone. A further advantage: The design of the bearing spots has been optimised. Thus, for example, the carbon fibre reinforced structure near the tool seat is directly connected to the arms via the bearing bushing. The resulting friction pair carbon fibre reinforced structure/plain bearing would not be able to be realised with metallic materials.
