Hygienic and lubrication-free bearings in UV cleaning device for smart phones
The low-noise linear plain bearings were installed under high hygiene requirements.
Countless bacteria collect on tablets and other mobile devices by just one touch. This is a major problem especially for environments such as hospitals or in the food processing industry. Here, it is important to regularly disinfect mobile devices on the part of patients, visitors and also staff. However, as normal disinfectants can damage the surfaces, the American company CleanSlate UV developed a UV cleaning device. CleanSlate UV successfully and gently kills bacteria with UV rays and our lubrication-free linear axes.Profile
- What was needed: drylin® W linear bearing technology
- Requirements: a very quiet linear bearing was needed; no lubricants were to be used in the application; a long service life of the product had to be guaranteed.
- Industry: Medical technology
- Success for the customer: drylin W linear guides are lubrication-free and maintenance-free; as the bearings slide instead of roll, the steriliser runs very quietly; in addition, the bearings are insensitive to dirt and dust and represent a cost-effective and an exceptionally flexible solution.
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Problem
Ultraviolet light has been used as a disinfectant for more than 30 years. A new product now harnesses this technology to eliminate bacteria from phones, tablets and other mobile devices in 20 seconds. It is already being used worldwide in healthcare facilities, biotechnology production plants and even in food processing. The CleanSlate steriliser eliminates 99.9998 per cent of MRSA bacteria in seconds.During the initial R & D phase, it was found that the CleanSlate's UV lamps need to be switched on and kept hot to achieve effective sterilisation in 20 seconds. As UV light is a danger to the skin and eyes, it was necessary to develop a movable chamber that transports the device in a movable sliding chamber to a second UV chamber for sterilisation.
Particular importance was attached to quiet linear bearings so that patients and staff are not inconvenienced by additional noise, especially at night. In addition, no lubricants of any kind were allowed in the application, as the system is used in hospitals and food processing plants. Lastly, one of the project planning goals was to guarantee the longest possible service life for the product, which the linear bearing system should also be able to handle without any problems.
Solution
First, the project managers tried out stainless-steel rolling bearings. However, the contact between the metal ball bearing and the guide created noise on the carriage that exceeded the acceptable limits in hospital ambience. Furthermore, the friction caused by the movement put additional strain on the motor and thus the entire system. In addition, the steel bearings also failed the service life tests and achieved only 10-20% of the expected service life of the product.Therefore, the engineers finally decided to support and move the devices into the UV chamber with our drylin W linear guides, which operate completely free of lubrication and maintenance. This is achieved by the solid lubricants incorporated in the sliding elements. In this way, it was not only possible to fulfil the claim of being able to do without lubricants. This also ensured the continued reduction of noise in the cleaning device: due to the use of lubrication-free liners, and also because the bearings slide instead of roll, the steriliser now runs exceptionally quietly.
And two further advantages resulted from the use of drylin linear systems: they are not only insensitive to dirt and dust, but also represent a cost-effective and very flexible solution.
