Eastman stated the bearing also can profit automakers trying to redesign present inner combustion engine autos to supply hybrid or BEV variations. TriFinity takes up the identical quantity of area as normal two-row variations or could be even smaller.
“Maybe OEMs don’t want to go through a complete redesign of the entire wheel bearing. If that has to grow, then everything surrounding it — the knuckle, the brakes, everything — has to change, too,” he stated. “The TriFinity bearing helps us to put a little more capacity into the same package.”
Eastman stated the preliminary idea for the design emerged in 2009, however work on it started in earnest round 2019 by groups in North America and Europe.
The bearing will go into manufacturing late this yr or in early 2023. Eastman stated Schaeffler has entered right into a contract to produce it to an automaker, however he declined to call the corporate.
The rollout comes shortly after Schaeffler established a brand new enterprise division devoted to bearings this yr, helmed in North America by Eastman.
The firm believes there’s development potential within the section because the business continues to impress.
“There’s a laser focus within this division on the bearings themselves and leveraging synergies across the different applications and product types,” he stated. “We have to be able to make sure we’re using resources as efficiently as possible, that we’re developing best practices and developing solutions that the market and our customers need.”
Source: www.autonews.com
