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.

Swivel bearing brake housing with labeling

Key Features Aluminium

Thrust strut, camber strut and tension strut
Main bearing bore
Pre-machining 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

1. 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

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

3. OPTIMILL-DIAMOND-SPM

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

Swivel bearing made of cast iron with labeling

Features and Machining Requirements

In comparison to aluminium, these materials are more
cost-effective but have a higher specific weight. Cast iron
is resistant to wear and tear and can withstand high loads.

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

High abrasiveness
More difficult tool accessibility depending on clamping fixture and number of process steps
Reduction of cutting forces due to positive cutting edge geometry
Adapted cutting data
Controlled chip breaking