Erich Franke was a German engineer and inventor who made significant contributions to the development of bearing technologies. He developed the Franke principle wire race bearing named after him.
The Franke principle is a further development of the crossed roller bearing, which had already been invented by other engineers in the 1930s. It uses a special arrangement of cylindrical rollers to support higher loads and torques than conventional ball bearings.
The Franke principle was first patented by Erich Franke in the 1950s and quickly found application in the aerospace industry. It offers high load capacity, rigidity and precision with low friction and wear. The principle is used in various bearing types, such as crossed roller bearings, angular contact ball bearings and angular contact roller bearings.
Erich Franke has made significant contributions to the further development of bearing technology and his inventions have contributed to the fact that bearing technologies can now be used in a wide range of applications