Aimed at low-load applications, the new iglidur N54 plain bearing uses polymer that is mainly made of castor oil, rather than crude oil, which is commonly used in plastic bearings.

“The introduction of our iglidur N54 biopolymer marks the first serious step towards ‘green bearings’,” said Matt Aldridge, Director of IgusUK.

He noted that the biopolymer “is made from crop oil instead of crude oil – you can’t eat it, and it’s not biodegradable – but it is an industry first for a technical polymer.”

The new plain bearing is both maintenance and lubricant free, and in-house test results showed that the new material has up to 2MPa of wear resistance properties for loads. Furthermore, the iglidur plastics weigh less than any other metallic version; with the average weight is only 1.4 g/cm3 compared to steel, which weigh by as much as 5.5 times.

As the new bearing does not require any grease and oil, it cannot discharge any contaminants into the environments. In addition, the energy needed to create plastic bearings is remarkably less compared for producing metals.

The European Bioplastics Association also noted that the global production capability for biopolymers will surge from about 700,000 tonnes last year to approximately 1.7 million tonnes by 2015.

Motion Control Tips

The new hybrid bearing, DryLin® WJRM, was developed with the goal of reducing driving force, especially in applications involving the manual adjustment of machine-guard doors, partitions and adjustable locks, or for light handling tasks. For this purpose, igus took the advantages unique to sliding and rolling movements and combined them.

A self-lubricating plastic, sliding sleeve bearing ensures the hybrid linear system is robust, dirt and moisture resistant, lightweight and low cost. Meanwhile, a maintenance-free polymer roller brings ease of use to applications where heavy machine doors up to 110 pounds have to be adjusted manually. The required driving force is reduced by a factor of 4 to 5 due to this roller bearing, which carries the main load. This makes manual operation much easier.

The new hybrid bearing is the latest extension to the tried-and-trusted DryLin W linear guide range from igus. The extremely compact system was modeled by igus’ design engineers in such a way that the rollers fit inside the linear profile without increasing height, which remains at a low profile 0.71 inches (18 mm). Standard linear guide profiles can be used, which are available in three styles for shaft diameters of 0.39 (10 mm): as individual rails for more flexibility and as double rails for fast installation without time-consuming alignment. The latter comes with a distance between rails of 1.57 inches (40 mm) or 3.15 inches (80 mm). The hybrid bearing housing is made from blue-chromed die-cast zinc.

DryLin W is a flexible, modular linear guide system made from hard-anodized aluminum profiles, die-cast zinc housings, stainless steel or aluminum and plastic plain bearing materials. The wide variety of different combinations within this easy-to-install system allows users to optimize available design space. DryLin W linear guides work without lubrication as dry-running systems and do not require maintenance during operation. They use plastic liners made from iglide® J or iglide J200, both of which are extremely low wear and have a very low coefficient of friction. They are also chemical resistant, vibration dampening and absorb negligible amounts of moisture.

igus
www.igus.com

Motion Control Tips

DryLin SLW Pre-Loaded is available off-the-shelf and is less expensive when compared to ball bearing assemblies. Costs associated with research, design, drawing, purchasing, QC, and assembly are virtually eliminated. In contrast to other linear shaft systems, DryLin SLW Pre-Loaded also features high torsional stiffness and is completely lubrication-free and contaminant-resistant.

The clearance on the DryLin W carriages can be adjusted with an Allen wrench. The setscrew makes an audible clicking sound with every increment of adjustment, which helps the end user achieve consistent and quick assembly every time. This new technology makes higher-precision applications possible at a lower cost.

“The pre-loaded version of our DryLin W Adjustable provides design engineers with more options,” said Matt Mowry, product manager for linear technology at igus North America, “Instead of buying a number of different components to piece together an assembly, they can purchase a high-performance part from our catalog and use the time saved to design several other aspects of their equipment.”

igus
www.igus.com

Motion Control Tips

These bearings are 80% lighter than conventional steel spherical bearings. They can withstand aggressive cleaning agents because they are corrosion and chemical resistant. They also do not require grease, which could contaminate the products being packaged.

igus
www.igus.com

Motion Control Tips

They are designed to fill the gap where conventional ball bearing performance is limited by parameters such as temperature, chemical or moisture exposure. Special solutions are generally difficult to come by or only available at great cost, so igus decided to apply its years of experience working with tribologically optimized polymers to replace ineffective standard materials.

The races and cage of the new ball bearings are made from igus’ high-temperature material iglide® A500, which has an exceptionally good chemical resistance. The corrosion-free balls are made from stainless steel, although glass balls are available for maximum corrosion resistance. The deep-groove ball bearings are available for varying shaft diameters and are temperature-resistant up to 302 degrees Fahrenheit. Application areas for these bearings include medical engineering, chemical, food, pharmaceutical, biotechnology and plant engineering.

According to igus, the dry running polymer ball bearings do not compare with permanently-lubricated metal roller bearings when it comes to service life, speed or permissible loads. However, in many applications this is not an important factor; instead, low friction values and minimal driving forces are usually the basic requirement.

The igus polymer ball bearings are unique because they are available from stock and can be used in combination with potentially corrosive elements, such as chemicals. They do not require any lubrication, making them compliant with food industry standards.

igus intends to expand this range in keeping with its ongoing pursuit towards customer-specific solutions using high-performance polymers.

www.igus.com

Motion Control Tips

• increase production throughput
• improve delivery lead times to customers
• reduce inventory and procurement costs
• use manufacturing floor space more efficiently
• improve speed to market.

igus® ReadyChain® systems are completely preassembled cable carriers combining igus Energy Chains® with continuous-flex cables and hoses, connectors, mounting brackets and other accessories, as required. Just open the box, plug in the cables and in minutes your ReadyChain system is supplying power to your machine. igus also offers its own line of Chainflex ® cables, specifically designed for continuous-flex applications. Call for more information about harnessing services today.

www.igus.com

Motion Control Tips

Plastic plain bearings can reduce costs by 25% when compared to bronze, metal-backed and custom injection-molded bearings. Eighty percent lighter than conventional steel alternatives, plastic spherical bearings compensate for misalignment errors and edge loads, eliminating the need for costly readjustment, reaming or retrofitting. For linear applications, plastic bearings can potentially cut costs up to 40% as a corrosion-resistant alternative to metal ball bearings. Linear guide systems featuring plastic gliding elements are also a cost-effective choice due to their resistance to dirt, dust and chemicals.

igus® offers 9,600 bearing products ranging from iglide® plastic plain bearings and igubal® spherical bearings to DryLin® linear bearing and slides. Free samples available.

www.igus.com

Motion Control Tips