Ground support equipment – lubrication-free thanks to motion plastics

When aircraft are on the ground, everything has to move quickly. To manage turnover as quickly as possible, a number of special vehicles have been developed: ground support equipment (GSE).
This equipment handles a variety of tasks – fuelling, unloading cargo, de-icing, boarding  – simultaneously. Challenges, especially for the components, include flexibility (each aircraft is of a different size, so the GSE must be able to change its height) and absolute reliability. Whether the airport is enjoying sunshine or caught in a rainstorm or snowstorm, the GSE must function reliably. Any failure is expensive.
 
All over the world, customers rely on motion plastics, since they are maintenance-free, resistant to corrosion and chemicals and absolutely reliable, and their service life is predictable.

• De-icing vehicles
• Baggage lifts
• Aircraft tractors
• Catering trucks
• Ambulifts

To ensure aerodynamics and safety during flight, aircraft must be completely free of interfering objects. This includes ice and snow in cold seasons. This is a complex task that is demanding for humans and machines and must be completed under time pressure.
Our energy chains, cables and bearing technology have been tested under extreme conditions and are eminently suited to use in telescopic arms, cabin rotation or spray nozzles. Certain iglidur materials are also resistant to media such as glycol, formic acid, kerosene and Skydrol. 

Cargo loaders are used in airports to load luggage or large containers into aircraft. They must be able to handle heavy loads and tough conditions and have adjustable heights.
e-chain and chainflex cables are ideal for guiding cables in the height-adjustment mechanism. dry-tech plain bearings, thrust washers and rollers can be used flexibly, completely without lubrication, even with loads of up to 200  MPa. That is why they are used in applications such as scissor lift tables and platforms.

Aircraft tractors, also called "pushers" or "towbar tractors", are true behemoths. They are used to move aircraft on runways or in maintenance hangars. Some models clamp the front wheel in a mechanism and lift the aircraft.
iglidur heavy-duty plain bearings are used in this clamping mechanism, energy chains are used to guide cables and hoses, and PRT slewing rings ensure the necessary seat rotation in the driver's cabin.

Catering trucks are used to remove empty service trolleys from the aircraft and replace them with full ones. The last few metres between truck and aircraft are usually managed with a telescoping platform.
motion plastics offer a number of applications here: e-chains for cable guidance in height adjustment and drylin linear bearings and iglidur plain bearings in the platform. motion plastics are useful here because they require no lubrication, have high edge loads, and are resistant to chemicals such as Skydrol, formic acid and glycols.

Ambulifts are used to allow individuals with physical limitations to board the aircraft safely and conveniently. They require a number of movements, both on the front side, where passengers enter the ambulift, and the rear side, where they board the aircraft. motion plastics allow these movements to be entirely lubrication-free and automated.