Foot prosthesis equipped with highly wear-resistant plain bearings

Profile

• What was needed: iglidur plain bearings
• Requirements: High quality at a favourable price was wanted here. The bearings also had to work silently and completely maintenance-free.
• Industry: Medical technology, prostheses
• Success for the customer: The iglidur Z plain bearings stand for maximum service life under the most extreme conditions, are wear-resistant and permanently functional even under high loads. They are maintenance-free and silent, so that users can forget they are wearing a prosthesis in everyday life.

Problem

This multiaxial prosthetic foot called "Roadegree" consists of a carbon fibre laminate, high-performance springs, an aluminium Ergal 7075 T6 adapter, a central stainless steel pivot point and two bearings. As the cheapest carbon fibre foot on the prosthesis market, it is designed for the low-price segment and is suitable for 80% of all amputees worldwide.
Ensuring high quality at an affordable price was the greatest challenge when designing the prosthesis. In addition, the manufacturer also had to avoid the occurrence of noise from the prosthesis, which generally occurs during the use and wear of metallic components. The aim is to create a completely maintenance-free system so that users can forget they are wearing a prosthesis in everyday life.

Solution

The foot is called "Roadegree" and would be the cheapest carbon fibre foot on the market, suitable for 80% of all amputees worldwide.
The manufacturer found the solution to all problems in iglidur plain bearings, whereby a flanged bearing made of the material iglidur Z is used in the prosthesis. The flanged bearings stand for maximum service life under the most extreme conditions, are wear-resistant and function permanently even under high loads. By avoiding the high wear and tear of conventional bearings, the new solution is completely maintenance-free. The user can also enjoy noise-free use of their prosthesis.  In addition, the "Roadegree" foot has a very low sales price, whilst featuring high-quality and high-performance components such as the carbon fibre laminate, the ERGAL 7076 metal parts, but also the new iglidur bearings.