SKF bearings help in Mars Rover’s operations

<p><br/></p><p>SKF designed Kaydon’s RealiSlim thin-section ball bearings, enabled the Mars Rover’s core operations in the environment on Mars.</p><p><br/></p><p>The bearings were manufactured in SKF’s engineering centre in Muskegon, Mich. and its recently expanded manufacturing hub in Sumter, South Carolina.</p><p><br/></p><p>They contributed to the survival of the rover’s main robotic arm, sample collecting turret, tool bit carousel and sample handling assembly during a months-long trip through space, and its function as intended on the Mars surface.</p><p><br/></p><p>“The bearings we designed and built to help the rover perform its core science activities were based on several models of Kaydon thin-section ball bearings, customized by our engineers to minimize weight and save space while retaining maximum functionality and reliability for a mission, where repair or replacement is simply not an option,” said Isidoro Mazzitelli, Director of Product Development and Engineering Americas, SKF.</p><p><br/></p><p>SKF also supplied critical bearings for the&nbsp;mission’s&nbsp;launch vehicle, which carried the rover and its lander into space.</p>