TSR was selected against a field of global competitors for the supply of slew bearings for the SKA (square kilometre array), installed in the optically clear semi desert of the Northern Cape. The slew bearings were specified for temperature stability and repeatability, allowing the telescope to turn smoothly and accurately to track objects in space. “Accuracy requirements were at the centre of our brief from the client. Titanus had to guarantee a repeatable positional accuracy of fractional minutes for all products. During testing of the prototype, the ring easily exceeded the specifications,” says Marco Casagrande, CEO of Titanus Slew Rings.
Titanus was presented with an award in recognition of their continuing supply of precise and accurate slew bearings into the project. More recently the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) awarded its 2023 Group Achievement Award to the MeerKAT team.
