Maintenance-free polymer bearings in mobile and stationary sawmills

Each of these sawmills is a customised one-off production facility. It is used either in Germany or elsewhere in the world. However, the functional requirements are always the same: The sawmill must function in all weathers, be easy to operate and simple to maintain and service. lubrication-free plastic plain and linear plain bearings master all the tasks involved.

"From Dubai to Sumatra, from Siberia to Panama - there is virtually no country in the world where our high-performance sawmills are not in use," explains Hans Fritz, CEO of SERRA Maschinenbau GmbH in Rimsting. "From the inexpensive entry-level model for the hobby sawyer to the highly professional sawmill, we supply a customised solution for every requirement. The components, which have proven themselves in the demanding conditions of wood processing, also fulfil all other requirements, for example in machine and plant construction."

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Problem

Depending on the area of application, the bearings are exposed to large temperature fluctuations. The machines are used in extremely hot and extremely cold environments. There is also a heavy load from dirt and dust. Shocks and impacts occur during the work process, which place additional stress on the bearing points.

Solution

SERRA Maschinenbau GmbH has found a maintenance- and lubrication-free solution with plastic plain bearings made from the material iglidur® J. Since no oil or grease needs to be used, dust, dirt and wood chips do not adhere to the bearing points. The resulting shocks and impacts are absorbed by the plain bearings, as they have a vibration-damping effect. With a permanently low coefficient of friction, they ensure smooth movement in the application.

"For some years now, we have been increasingly using plastic plain bearings at various points in our sawmills. They prove themselves in the harshest working conditions, are lubrication-free and are also very easy to install"

Manfred Rosam, conductor design office, SERRA Maschinenbau GmbH

Impacts, splinters, sawdust

Tribologically optimised polymer bearings from igus are used for the rotary and displacement movements.

Extreme heat in desert regions, severe frost in Siberia, high humidity in the rainforest: the weather must have no influence on the functionality of mobile and stationary sawmills. In addition, the handling of tree trunks involves an extremely high impact load as well as vast quantities of wood splinters, sawdust and dust during the actual work process. With hourly outputs of up to 10 m³, any size of timber can be cut safely, quickly and flexibly. "We supply high-quality machines and are always at the cutting edge of technical developments," says Manfred Rosam, head of the design office. "We offer our customers technically sophisticated solutions. For some years now, we have been increasingly using plastic plain bearings at various points in our sawmills. They prove themselves in the harshest working conditions, are lubrication-free and are also very easy to install," says Rosam, explaining some of the advantages.

Up to 40 tribologically optimised polymer bearings from bearing specialist igus® GmbH, Cologne, are used in particular in the successful "Montana" model, the mobile wide band sawmill for log diameters of up to 90 cm - and the trend is still rising. The professional sawmill was presented in the second half of 2006 and is now being used successfully all over the world. Here, for example, plain bearings made of the material iglidur® J prove their worth in the angle stops and the pre-cutter. drylin® linear plain bearings with iglidur® J sliding film show their strength in levelling. The flexible drylin® W guide system, also with sliding film, is used in the saw blade guide. The iglidur® J material is best suited for most applications in the linear area due to its wear and friction properties. This is why numerous igus® linear plain bearings are equipped with this material.

Refining wood at any location

More and more forest owners, craftsmen, farmers and sawmillers are recognising the advantages of mobile sawmills: on four wheels, the saw can reach any place where wood needs to be processed at any time. Whether boards, beams or slats, different model sizes and price ranges fulfil every customer requirement. "Today, we have over 1,000 mobile and stationary systems in use worldwide," reports CEO Hans Fritz. "In Germany alone, we are one of the leading manufacturers with over 400 wide band sawmills sold." Manfred Rosam, head of the design office: "We want to constantly offer our customers innovations. Above all, the topic of weight saving plays a very important role for us. The plastic bearings from igus® naturally play a special role here."

The lightweight but robust polymer bearings are used in all places where turning or sliding movements occur in sawmills. They replace ball bearings or greased steel to steel guidance. The levelling process is particularly rough. Here, each log is levelled individually, the wood is clamped and pressed onto the supports. The iglidur® J material for the linear guide foils guarantees a very good coefficient of friction. It is specially designed for linear applications. The drylin® linear guide system is a dry-running system, i.e. it lubricates itself when dry and is extremely resistant to dirt and robust. "We have been using the linear guide foils in various sawmills for around six years. They have proved their worth right from the start," summarises Manfred Rosam.

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