• Collage_Schwenklager_Slider

Swivel bearing / steering knuckle

Hub carriers on the rear axle and swivel bearing on the front axle are responsible for carrying the wheels and crucial to driving comfort and safety. They act as mounting points for the wheel hub, brake disc, brake caliper and suspension arm. Their design differs depending on the axle concept so as to meet specific vehicle requirements. The components must be capable of bearing high wheel loads and are therefore made from strong, corrosion resistant materials such as forged aluminium or spheroidal cast iron. Their robust design ensures the vehicle’s effectiveness and safety.

Aluminum swivel bearing component for a vehicle

Highlight aluminum machining

  1. Thrust strut, camber strut and tension strut
  2. Main bearing bore
  3. Pre-machinig of main bearing bores

Features and machining requirements

Aluminium, with its combination of high strength and very high flexibility, is the ideal workpiece material for safety-critical components that also need to be lightweight. These properties make it the perfect choice for unsprung masses.

  • Forged aluminium or spheroidal cast iron
  • High demand on quality as component is safety-relevant
  • High quantities
  • Close position tolerances
  • High process reliability and dimensional accuracy

  • Long chipping due to wrought alloy and forged/ heat treated
  • More difficult tool accessibility depending on clamping fixture and number of process steps
  • Machining in a clamping system
  • Multi-spindle machining or custom machines

1. Thrust strut, camber strut and tension strut

Kombinationswerkzeug_Schwenklager

Combination tool:

  • Fine machining of close diameter tolerances with long projection length
  • High shape accuracy due to precisely ground blades

1. Drilling from solid

  • Cost-effective drilling from solid using QTD indexable cutting edge

2. Fine boring + bearing seat machining

  • Fine machining of bores using pad-guided fine-bore cutting edges for tight tolerance requirements

3. Reverse machining

  • Reverse circular milling of chamfers with replaceable tangential inserts

2. Main bearing bore

Hauptlagerbohrung

PCD miling tool

  • Short cycle times due to finish milling of all diameters and contours with one tool
  • Reliable machining with short chips

3. Pre-machining of main bearing bores

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OptiMill-Diamond-SPM

  • Ideal for making openings or pockets
  • Solid carbide design or with brazed PCD blades

Cast iron swivel bearing component for a vehicle

Highlight cast iron machining

  1. Connection steering arm
  2. Milling machining
  3. Connection swing arm/suspension arm
  4. Main bearing bore

Features and machining requirements

Im Vergleich zu Aluminium sind diese Materialien kostengünstiger, sie haben jedoch ein höheres spezifisches Gewicht. Gusseisen ist widerstandsfähig gegen Verschleiß und kann hohe Lasten aushalten.

  • Geschmiedetes Aluminium oder Sphäroguss
  • Hoher Qualitätsanspruch, da sicherheitsrelevantes Bauteil
  • Hohe Stückzahlen
  • Enge Positionstoleranzen
  • Hohe Prozesssicherheit und Maßhaltigkeit

  • Hohe Abrasivität
  • Je nach Spannvorrichtung und Anzahl der Prozessschritte erschwerte Werkzeugzugänglichkeit
  • Reduzierung der Schnittkräfte durch positive Schneidengeometrien
  • Angepasste Schnittwerte
  • Kontrollierter Spanbruch

1. Connection steering arm

Anbindung_Spurlenker

Disc milling cutter

  • Reliable milling due to tangential technology
  • Eight cutting edges per indexable insert for cost-effective machining
  • Vibration damper to reduce vibration

2. Milling machining

Fräsbearbeitungen

NeoMill-8-Corner

  • Maximum economic efficiency for corner milling
  • Eight cutting edges per indexable insert for cost-effective machining
  • Large cutting depths up to 8 mm

3. Connection swing arm/suspension arm

Anbindung Schwinge

Taper Reamer

  • Maximum accuracy thanks to guide pads and μ-precise adjustment of indexable inserts
  • Insert technology for maximum flexibility in the choice of cutting material for optimisation of tool life and surface quality

4. Main bearing bore

Hauptlagerbohrung_Gusseisen.jpg

1. Pre-machining
    Boring tool with indexable inserts

  • Precision boring tool with cartridges
  • High flexibility due to quick, straightforward interchangeability
  • Adjusting feature for long adjustment range

2. Semi-finish machining
    Bore milling combination with indexable inserts

  • High effectiveness due to the usage of tangential technology
  • Cartridge for high flexibility due to quick, straightforward interchangeability

3. Fine machining
    High-performance reamer HPR400

  • Reliable machining of the large diameter
  • Easy to handle without setting effort
  • High accuracy: Precision of a brazed reamer