Steering system manufacturer Pailton Engineering will design and build a new steering column for lightweight delivery vehicles. The column will satisfy a growing demand for components optimized for lightweight vehicles, particularly last-mile delivery vehicles. This represents a significant move for Pailton, which has built its reputation through the design and manufacture of heavy-duty parts.
Pailton’s new steering column will provide reliability and quality for commercial vehicles. It will also help fulfil the key requirements of the automotive sector. Most importantly, this will therefore be a collapsible steering column with other key features including tilt and telescopic adjustability.
The column will be part of a wider package of steering parts that are ideal for lightweight vehicles. In addition to the column, the package will include two sliders and a bevel box. Like the column, these parts are lightweight and compact. A modular design suitable for any lightweight vehicle is the aim, although Pailton offer customization to meet customer requirements.
PAILTON’S INTRO TO LAST-MILE DELIVERY
The development of the new steering column arose from industry demand for lightweight vehicles. Manufacturers are looking at ways of reducing the weight of delivery vehicles, particularly electric vans designed for last-mile delivery. Manufacturers now design many of these vehicles using aluminium or even composites, therefore other components consume overall vehicle weight. Steering and suspension weight has also increased, which led OEMs to begin focusing on this area.
Pailton built its steering column with these needs in mind.
‘‘The aim was to reduce the weight percentage contribution of the parts to the overall weight of the vehicle, while maintaining the functionality and safety-critical features of the steering system,’’ Kostas Poulios, principal design and development engineer, explains.
Having previously designed and manufactured parts for heavy vehicles, Pailton had to build a new steering column from scratch. Its existing product range covers heavy-duty parts that would be over-engineered for a smaller vehicle such as an electric van.
‘‘We felt there was a real opportunity here,” Kostas adds. “Many of the existing parts that design engineers can choose from are not purpose-built in this way. We can provide a set of steering parts that are compact, lightweight, and simple—perfect for the delivery vehicle of the future.”
Find out more, visit www.pailton.com.
