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joystick in flight simulator

Reliable thread technology for precise and sensitive control of a flight sim joystick

Improved motion sequences for the flight simulation of helicopters, jets, drones and co.

"Simulation Products from Brunner includes, on the one hand, our high-performance and innovative control-loading systems, which are becoming key success factors in the entire spectrum of modern flight simulation applications as drop-in devices, and on the other hand, our Simulation Components, which we develop and manufacture for the flight simulation of jets, airliners, helicopters and, most recently, drones," reports BRUNNER. The dryspin thread technology supports its movements and offers a more precise and sensitive solution than the previously used metal alternative.

Profile

What was needed: A zero-backlash threaded nut with matching spindle from dryspin
Requirements: Quiet travel, minimal play of the nut and spindle, low-noise and vibration-free operation even under load, lubrication and maintenance-free
Industry: Aerospace
Success for the customer: "The use of dryspin thread technology has significantly improved the entire behavior of the drive, starting with the feel, the noise, up to an extremely clean and quiet running behavior," says Thomas Brunner, Head of Mechanical Engineering at BRUNNER Elektronik.

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With its products, BRUNNER is the trendsetter in the field of professional flight simulation and continues to set new standards. It's great to see how we can support our customers with our high-performance polymers and solutions and how they can add value.

The zero-backlash nuts used are an igus standard catalogue article. All dimensions are available from stock. The spindles themselves are manufactured by us according to BRUNNER's wishes and drawings.

We have been working successfully with igus for over 20 years, and when Axel Ebert was once again at our company, he presented a new igus spindle with a new type of threaded nut. At the time, he literally raved about the many advantages of the system, so we tested it a short time later – and what can I say, we were thrilled right from the start!

Problem

"For our joystick, we used metal ball screws. These were relatively expensive, noisy and the behavior of the spindle was never 100 percent satisfactory for us. We have been working successfully with igus for over 20 years, and when Axel Ebert was once again at our company, he presented a new igus spindle with a new type of threaded nut. At the time, he literally raved about the many advantages of the system, so we tested it a short time later – and what can I say, we were thrilled right from the start!" recalls the mechanical engineering manager. The dryspin thread technology was specially developed by igus in 2015 and is based on the principle of lubrication-free and maintenance-free linear technology. The properties and geometries of the thread technology, which are matched to the plastic nut and spindle, guarantee efficiencies of up to 82 percent and a service life up to 30 percent longer than conventional lead screws. Axel Ebert, Key Account Manager for Bearing Technology at igus Switzerland, comments: "With the help of the rounded tooth flank geometry, the contact area between the lead screw and nut is reduced, and as a result, the thread systems run almost silently and vibration-free under load." So the decision for dryspin was quickly made. But the special requirement of reducing the mother's play still had to be solved. But igus was also able to remedy this situation.

Learn more about plain bearings

Solution

The solution: The Zero-Backlash threaded nut. To reduce the undesirable axial play, a preload mechanism has proven to be an effective measure. The zero-backlash threaded nut proposed by Axel Ebert is also used here. It is specially designed for fast and very efficient applications and consists of a bearing nut, an adjusting ring with torsion spring, a friction disc and the axial element. The torsion spring brings the preload into the thread system. "Two spindles are used for the joystick. In the case of the ball screw used in the past, the two bearing sides had to be exactly aligned in order to guarantee smooth running of the spindle. Not so with the igus spindle, which is fixed at the bottom and floating at the top by an iglidur plain bearing with a little play. This allows us to achieve a much higher degree of efficiency and a much better feeling during the movements," states BRUNNER and Ebert adds: "The zero-backlash nuts used are an igus standard catalogue article. All dimensions are available from stock. The spindles themselves are manufactured by us according to BRUNNER's wishes and drawings." In addition to the spindle and nut, BRUNNER also uses iglidur plain bearings and drylin R linear plain bearings from igus for moving applications.

Learn more about dryspin thread technology