Murat Erturk’s story doesn’t resemble the offspring of most family-owned businesses. Rather than being positioned as “the heir to the throne” at a tender age, Erturk was drawn organically to mechanical and industrial engineering as a child, and following in his father’s footsteps was only natural. “I would rush back home from school every day just to watch my father at work,” recalls Erturk, the CEO of OAV Air Bearings (OAV), one of the world’s leading manufacturers of air bearings. Besides marveling at his father’s tool-making skills, Erturk paid close attention to the leadership qualities exemplified by the founder of the family-owned enterprise. “I observed how he trained his employees and treated them like family. Those memories always stayed with me, and I’ve tried to instill a similar working environment at OAV Air Bearings.”

While Erturk, Sr. and his crew manufactured precision farming equipment and farming components, Erturk’s iteration of the company brings aerospace technology to air bearing systems. In 2007, Erturk founded OAV Air Bearings as a division of Aviation Company, which provides fastener solutions, bushings, and bearings to the aerospace, defense, and military sectors. After working with defense contractors and aerospace firms, Erturk was convinced that the recently-advanced air bearing technology could find broad application across industries. “After filing several patents for frictionless bearings, we decided to shift our focus to manufacturing high precision, high positioning air bearing systems,” he says, before adding that although his company’s product line has witnessed a massive change, the philosophy toward manufacturing has remained intact: to blend outstanding design with quality workmanship.

Today, OAV has distanced itself from its peers by manufacturing external roller bearings that are crafted with aerospace quality aluminum and titanium and push the limit of engineering for accuracy, speed, and performance. Unlike conventional bearings that generate immense heat and friction, and require regular servicing, every OAV Roller Air Bearing has a nearly-infinite operating life. By eliminating mechanical contact between elements, OAV’s military-quality standard air bearings benefit from an air-film averaging effect, generating virtually zero wear-and-tear. “While roller air bearings from others weigh 20 pounds, our components generally weigh less than one pound. By crafting our products with the aerospace quality, we provide a significant design advantage since our vast suite of air bearing products are compact and precise,” explains Erturk.

So precise and durable are OAV’s roller air bearings they are being used by literally every Fortune 500 company in the world. OAV’s air bearings are used in a variety of applications ranging from the measurement of force produced by an insect flapping-wing to the simulation of a zero-gravity environment for satellites. According to Erturk, his clients include the likes of Lockheed Martin, Facebook, Phillips, The Boeing Company, Google, and Siemens AG are all actively leveraging OAV’s rotary air bearings in their day-to-day operations. “Many companies that require frictionless components to test their systems, or need air bearings as a component in their applications, is a customer of ours,” reveals Erturk. Besides its patented line of roller air bearings, OAV provides specialized integrated air bearings and aerospace materials.

Providing Non-Contact Ultra Precision Motion

OAV’s product line caters to two specific industrial requirements: rotational motion and linear motion. Besides standard roller air bearings, OAV offers an external spinner roller bearing.

By crafting our products with the aerospace technology, we provide a significant design advantage since our vast suite of air bearing products are compact and precise

The latter consists of an outer spin rotary air bearing that provides the ability to spin outer rings with incredible accuracy while maintaining zero friction and contact. The bearing’s surface design equally distributes air and preloads it over an entire surface area, resulting in outstanding stiffness and performance.

Another patent-pending, first-of-its-kind technology—The OAV Thrust Air Bearing—fully integrates and works on a 3-way frictionless surface. The configurations run on standard size shafting for fixed or linear motion while maximizing rotational motion with ultra-precision and zero friction using aerospace quality aluminum. Rotational motion requirements are also met with vacuum preloaded air bearings and air bushings.

Meanwhile, OAV recently launched their newly designed modular air bearings that give their customer the flexibility to design their own linear motion system. “This is particularly useful for clients with limited budgets since they can choose the dimensions for the motion system to fit their exact needs,” says Erturk. The modular air bearings enable customers to add load bearings to increase load capacity or even change the linear guide with various shapes. “You can design a rectangular or perpendicular system with utmost ease,” adds Erturk. Besides adding bearings next to, or atop each other, clients also have the luxury of increasing the stiffness of the linear motion system.

Mechanical Engineering Troubleshooters

While OAV’s product line—roller air bearings, air bushings, air bearing bars, linear slide assemblies, and industrial components—are available online, the company is more than just a manufacturer of products for rotational and linear motion. OAV Engineers focus on understanding each customer’s engineering problems and thus can provide tailored solutions for each industrial application. Erturk says, “We are known for producing the tiniest air bearings as well as the largest. Whatever the requirement, we oblige and deliver a solution.”

OAV also takes up complex projects that require them to solve a client’s particular pain-point. Recently, OAV came across one such customer who discovered that designing wind turbines through the use of roller bearings can be a cost prohibitive. After OAV installed its patented roller air bearings, the client significantly reduced their maintenance budget. Erturk further explains another example involving a semiconductor manufacturer that had trouble with excessive oil spillage in its cleanroom. “Although their bearings helped them to maintain a high speed and clean environment, there were particles flying all over the place. We got them to switch from contact bearings to our frictionless air bearings, solving their problem,” he says. In fact, OAV also equipped the client with the required nitrogen gas for efficient cleanroom applications.

During every such project, OAV follows a tried-and-tested approach before producing and mounting air bearings. After examining a customer’s standard bearing assembly—through nanometer-level technology for ultimate precision and accuracy—OAV’s engineers develop a design through detailed drawings and 3D CAD models. “The 3D solid modeling system gives OAV the ability to ensure that the bearings and components (o-rings, shafts, mounting screws) fit perfectly in a client’s environment even before the testing phase,” according to Erturk.

Additionally, OAV’s engineers equip clients with technical documents, test results, and information needed to fulfill any potential requirements. “Our engineering staff is always readily available, and our expertise in the aerospace industry allows us to provide superior service,” adds Erturk.

The 24x7 Support Team

OAV’s engineering support team—spread across the U.S. and Germany—is indeed one of the company’s strong suits. According to Erturk, every customer query is receives a response within a few hours, and OAV provides a free-of-charge service to both existing and potential customers. Besides replying to basic queries about the bearings, OAV’s engineers are more than willing to provide design and calculation support.

Interestingly, OAV does not have a dedicated salesperson on its team. As Erturk explains, “We consider the expertise of our engineering team to be our ultimate sales pitch. We are not pushing our clients to buy our products! Instead, we provide a world-class solution and generally our clients purchase our technology to improve their efficiency and long term cost.”

Working with Universities

Exporting its products to over 70 countries across the world, OAV has earned the trust of the world’s most recognized institutions and labs. The company has also built up a strong appetite for “giving back to the scientific community” and actively collaborates with universities on a variety of projects. OAV is currently working with Georgia Tech University on a research project focusing on increasing the speed of the air bearings to 1 million rpm. “Every year, we dedicate our engineers’ time and energy to university-based projects,” informs Erturk.

“Currently, our engineers are passionately working with several universities on hyperloop projects.” To that end, OAV has launched its new Profile T-series Rail Guides that are manufactured from aircraft quality lightweight material. The OAV Vacuum Preloaded Air Bearing combines the use of air pressure and vacuum, allowing for the air bearing to be held down while simultaneously being lifting from surface to generate both linear straightness and flatness which results in vibration-free and maintenance-free motion. The T-Series also comes with an integrated locking brake function for ultimate accuracy positioning.”

In the coming days, OAV has a lot more in the offing, as it pertains to the advancement of manufacturing technologies. In 2020, OAV will launch a new spec design that will increase the load capacity of its air bearings by almost 60 percent. “This new product will overcome a lot of capacity and cost issues that our competitors and customers face right now,” says Erturk.

The next step in OAV’s evolution entails the “complete linear motion system” that will include components such as an electronic motor system and software. The idea behind the system is to provide customers with a plug-and-play solution rather than purchasing equipment separately. The new offering is slated to hit the market over the next few months.

"Any company that requires frictionless components to test their systems, or need air bearings as a component in their applications, is a customer of ours"

The NJ-based company Continus to invest further in its CNC equipment, testing processes, and training programs. While it already has a robust quality system that complies with ISO-9001- 2008 and MIL-I-45208, OAV keeps tabs on the latest quality protocols and ensures its machinists and engineers are up-to-date on industry trends. Erturk concludes, “Besides training one another, we have a powerful feedback system. No product is designed or manufactured until different departments share information and discuss strategies. This is a reflection of our family culture.” Erturk, Sr. must be proud.