Press

xiros expert helps in the easy selection of lightweight and lubrication-free rollers mounted on ball bearings

Maintenance-free, hygienic and clean: these are the requirements of the food and packaging industry for its components. For this reason, designers of film and labelling systems rely on smooth-running guide rollers with lubrication-free plastic components from igus. To assist the customer in the quick selection of the right roller for their application, igus has now developed a new online expert for guide rollers.

xiros polymer ball bearings from igus are lubrication-free and maintenance-free and have a very low breakaway torque. They are used particularly in the packaging and food industry because there is no risk of contamination due to lubricants seeping out. With the xiros guide rollers, igus has been offering harnessed and lightweight system solutions for immediate installation, for example, in film or labelling systems. The smooth-running guide rollers are available in different diameters, lengths accurate to the millimetre and three tube materials. igus has developed the guide roller expert to enable the customer to select and order their guide roller in just two steps. In the new online tool, in the first step the user only has to specify the outer and inner diameter as well as the length of the roller, the load, the load case and environmental parameters in the form of the temperature. The special feature: by entering the acting force and the degree of wrap around, the online expert calculates the resulting force on the roller and recommends the appropriate tube materials. In the second step, the user can select their guide roller based on the deflection, weight and price data, download the configuration CAD data and order the roller directly online.

The right material for every application
The guide rollers made of aluminium, PVC and carbon are available to the user for a wide variety of application scenarios. Compared to commonly used stainless steel tubes, the igus tube material weighs significantly less, which in turn has a positive effect on roller inertia. If the user wants to use a roller made entirely of approved materials for the food industry, the guide roller with the PVC tube material is the right choice. It is made entirely of materials that comply with EU Regulation 10/2011. Their application is also suitable as a transport roller. If a particularly light guide roller is required, igus offers the complete solution with a carbon tube, while the use of an aluminium tube offers a common solution for guiding labels and films. Two xiros fixed flange ball bearings made of high-performance plastics with stainless steel balls ensure that the rollers have a dry and smooth operation. They offer less friction than lubricated metal ball bearings, since the balls do not have to overcome the resistance of the lubricant and the seal, and they operate much more smoothly.

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