While iglidur plain bearings are already in use today for example, in the lifting arms of front loaders the motion plastics specialist Igus offers the heavy-duty material iglidur TX1 for even tougher applications. These include in construction machinery or in the agricultural sector, where very high forces such as bearing loads up to 200 MPa act on bearing points. TX1 is characterized by an extremely high compressive strength and a long service life and also features a high media resistance and temperature resistance up to 170°C for short periods.
To save weight, lightweight components are required, but these must be very robust at the same time. These requirements are fulfilled by the bearing material iglidur TX1 especially in applications where very heavy loads are moved.
“With a static compressive strength of up to 200MPa and a dynamic strength of 140MPa, we can implement many applications in the heaviest weight class,” explained René Achnitz, head of iglidur plain bearings at Igus.
Therefore, iglidur TX1 like all iglidur plain bearings is self-lubricating and dry running, but can also be used with lubrication in individual cases, for example, in typical applications in the agricultural and construction machinery sector, when lubricating grease is used as a corrosion protection for the shaft. Particularly heavy loaded pivoting movements, in which maximum radial loads prevail, can be implemented with plain bearings made of this material.
iglidur TX1 combines very good coefficients of wear and friction with a high dimensional stability. “Due to the long wound fibre, plain bearings made of iglidur TX1 absorb even extreme shocks and impacts and still remain very stable in shape,” said Achnitz.
Therefore, heavy-duty applications can be fitted with iglidur bearings as an alternative to metallic solutions, which always require a continuous lubrication or in which a lack of lubrication can cause undue costs for maintenance and repair as well as production delays.
Since plain bearings made of iglidur materials require no lubrication, no dirt can settle within the bearing points. And as the material is also very resistant to different temperatures, chemicals and moisture, appropriate bearings can be used in numerous other areas. The low maximum water absorption of less than 0.1% by weight in combination with seawater resistance also means that the iglidur TX1 material is very well suited to marine applications.
May 13, 2016
