Additive Manufacturing Lightweight Bearings from the 3D Printer Set New Standards

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Edelstahl Rosswag GmbH

Franke GmbH

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Together with Rosswag Engineering, Franke GmbH has additively manufactured lightweight bearings, individually optimized for the respective application. Franke is responsible for the machining, precision assembly and distribution of the bearings—Rosswag is responsible for the additive manufacturing of the bearing shells and the complex process qualification.

Lightweight construction is one of the key drivers of innovation in modern mechanical engineering, in aerospace and also in general mechanical engineering and robotics, and is becoming an increasingly important lever for the next development steps. In many applications, energy efficiency, sustainability and performance depend crucially on the weight of individual components. Structural components are often discussed in this context—but rolling bearings are also underestimated "weight drivers".

Franke GmbH from Aalen (Germany) specializes in wire race bearings, which offer significant weight and design advantages compared to classic solid material bearings. Together with Rosswag Engineering, a leading provider of metal 3D printing services, new standards have been set in recent years: Lightweight bearings from additive manufacturing, individually optimized for the respective application. Franke handles the machining, precision assembly and distribution of the bearings—Rosswag is responsible for the additive manufacturing of the bearing shells and the complex process qualification.

New Lightweight Construction Potential With Additive Manufacturing

Wire race bearings from Franke can be found in a wide variety of applications—from medical technology to aerospace and robotics. They enable compact designs, can be adapted to customer requirements and offer a high degree of flexibility. However, despite aluminium bodies and optimized CNC machining, conventional production is reaching its limits when it comes to further weight reduction.

The objective was therefore clear: additive manufacturing was to be used to tap into new lightweight construction potential—without compromising on precision, strength and durability. For Rosswag, this meant mastering the entire development process from powder to simulation, additive manufacturing and post-processing through to the validated lightweight bearing. This could only work so well thanks to close cooperation between the two medium-sized companies.

From Forging to Additive Manufacturing

Founded in 1911, Rosswag GmbH can look back on more than a century of experience in the metal processing of forged parts for heavy-duty industrial components. With over 400 qualified materials, the company is one of the leading forging companies in Europe. Since 2014, the Rosswag Engineering division has been expanding this expertise to include additive manufacturing.

The special feature: Rosswag has an integrated process chain—from in-house metal powder production, design, simulation, LPBF process and machining to material and component testing. This unique infrastructure also makes it possible to qualify new alloys within a very short time and make them available for demanding series applications. TÜV certifications for powder production and additive series production underline the claim to meet the highest quality standards.

Development Process: From CAD Model to Lightweight Bearing

The development of the new bearing bodies began with a topology optimization. Specialized software was used to identify material areas that could be saved without any loss of performance. In addition, lattice structures were used to ensure maximum rigidity with minimum use of material.

Rosswag contributed its experience by reinforcing the additively optimized structures in areas where machining or the absorption of high loads was necessary. The close integration of simulation, manufacturing know-how and material expertise resulted in a design that would not have been possible using conventional methods.

Another crucial step was the simulation of the additive manufacturing process itself. In the LPBF process, the rapid melting and solidification process results in high thermal stresses. Rosswag used process simulations to optimize the optimal component orientation, necessary support structures and process parameters. The result: stable and reproducible production without misprints.

From Prototype to Operational Bearing

Once the optimized bearing bodies have been successfully printed, Franke takes over the CNC machining. In particular, the seats for the wire races and the contact surfaces between the inner and outer ring must be precisely machined. This demonstrates the clear division of labour: Rosswag supplies the optimized, additively manufactured lightweight body—Franke contributes precision technology and bearing expertise.

The bearings are then completed with wire raceways, rolling elements and cages and are ready for demanding applications in medical technology, aerospace or robotics.

The result speaks for itself: some of the new additively manufactured lightweight bearings weigh just 11 percent less than comparable steel bearings. This drastic reduction opens up completely new fields of application—from satellite-based communication systems and highly dynamic robot joints to large medical devices such as computer tomographs.

The advantages are obvious:

• Less material used
• Reduced energy costs
• Higher efficiency

In addition, additive bearings have already arrived in the first series applications—proof that the technology is no longer at the research stage, but is now established in practice.

Rosswag sees enormous potential for the future in the development of new alloys. While the first prototypes were produced with the standard alloy AlSi10Mg, more powerful aluminum, steel or titanium materials open up further scope for lightweight construction and load-bearing capacity. Thanks to in-house powder production, Rosswag is able to quickly qualify such materials and transfer them to real projects.

From Future Scenario to Series Production

Additive manufacturing enables lightweight construction in a dimension that cannot be achieved with conventional methods. Together with Franke, Rosswag Engineering has shown that even high-precision components such as roller bearings can be successfully additively manufactured—with drastic weight savings at the same time.

Rosswag's key role lies in its combination of materials expertise, end-to-end process chain and experience in process simulation. The company thus makes a decisive contribution to increasing efficiency, sustainability and new applications in future markets. Lightweight bearings from 3D printing are no longer a future scenario—they are reality and already in series production.

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