SKF and Pagani form technical partnership to develop high

Jun 07, 2023

SKF and Pagani S.p.A. formed a technical partnership to develop lightweight, low-friction bearings for Pagani’s hypercar vehicles. The two companies have enjoyed a 25-year automaker-supplier relationship.

Pagani S.p.A is an Italian hypercar manufacturer established in 1998 by Horacio Pagani. The company rapidly made its name as a constructor of bespoke automobiles using technologically advanced materials such as carbon fibre and titanium.

SKF has been supplying bearing solutions to Pagani from the automaker’s foundations, from the very first iconic Zonda C12 supercar to the latest stunning Huayra R and Utopia hypercars. In the supercar and hypercar segments the principal challenge is to combine high-tech bearing solutions with peak performance and high endurance road car specifications.

The design of the new wheel bearings features low friction, low weight, and therefore low car emissions. SKF uses lightweight ring designs with optimized use of material to reduce weight, polymer cages for low weight and low friction, and ceramic balls that weigh 126 grams less per wheel compared to steel balls. This approach and technology positively impacts safety and sustainability across the industry, contributing to SKF’s goal to be completely carbon neutral by 2030.

Hypercar manufacturers expect the best in performance and quality, and at the same time they want something unique in terms of lightweight and low friction solutions, with a high integration of functionality and features.

The partnership focuses on developing hybrid bearing solutions, which combine steel outer and inner rings with ceramic balls or rollers. SKF hybrid bearings make use of silicon nitride rolling elements—ball bearings, cylindrical roller bearings or custom designs—which have properties that are distinct from their standard steel counterparts.

Silicon nitride is more than twice as hard as bearing steel and has a higher compression strength and elastic modulus, providing superior performance and wear resistance while reducing friction, a key advantage of hybrid bearings. Reducing bearing friction can help reduce energy consumption. SKF tests have shown that hybrid bearings at high speeds have 5% to 8% less friction that steel bearings.

Posted on 27 April 2023 in Manufacturing, Market Background, Vehicle Systems | Permalink | Comments (0)