36/1, Sy No. 17/3, NCPR Layout, Euro School Road,
Dodda Nekkundi Indl Area, 2nd Stage, Mahadevapura Post,
Bangalore- 560048
The engineers in the igus 3D printing team have now achieved a further great step: sensors are printed into the tribo component via multi-material printing. Long before the failure, it signals that a replacement is imminent. Furthermore it is possible to detect an overload so as to initiate an immediate machine stop and thus prevent further damage to the bearing point and the entire machine. This enables predictive maintenance for special parts as well, with the result that machine downtime and maintenance work can be reduced. Due to additive manufacturing, such intelligent 3D isense components can now be delivered in a cost-effective way from five business days.
3D isense is suitable for the manufacture of intelligent plain bearings, sliding elements, lead screw nuts and all other special parts that are susceptible to friction and wear.
igus has been developing intelligent wear-resistant parts since 2016, and is by now using them in energy chains, plain bearings and linear guides. When designing these wear sensors, our developers have been using the igus 3D printing service for wear-resistant parts.
That way, special gliders have been manufactured via laser sintering and made of iglidur I3; the intelligence was incorporated afterwards in a second process step.
This has lead to the intelligent special parts being very complex and cost-intensive when produced in small numbers, as the downstream work steps are very specific and tailored to the individual component. The 3D printing developers accepted this challenge and came up with a procedure for producing such intelligent wear-resistant parts in one work step via 3D printing. Now, as no further processing steps are necessary, intelligent special wear-resistant parts can be manufactured cost-efficiently from five working days on.
During printing, the sensor layer is applied to those parts of the component that will be subjected to load. When in use, the electrical resistance of the sensor material is measured continually so that a warning is issued before overloading or before the wear limit is reached.
Based on the procedure for multi-material printing, wear-resistant parts with integrated sensor layers are developed. The components are made from the wear-resistant filaments iglidur I150 or iglidur I180 and a specifically developed electrically conductive 3D printing material that sticks well to the tribofilament.
Currently, there are two application areas:
► Warning before overload occurs: The electrically conductive material is situated between the wearing layers. If the load changes, the resistance also changes. To determine the load limits, the bearing has to be calibrated correspondingly.
► Reaching of the wear limit: the conducting path is located in the gliding surface, the wear is measured via the der change of the resistance.
Become a beta tester and try 3D isense for free: we are offering ten selected customers the opportunity of free samples with intelligent special parts.
The isense plain bearings signal their wear status in good time before the machine can be damaged because of bearing failure. Available in five special materials, the intelligent plain bearings can be used in a wide variety of industries and applications.
The EC. i. SU.02 measures the distance between pin & hole in the case of unsupported and roller chain applications and reports the status via LTE, LoRaWan or Bluetooth. The new sensor technology enables measurement of the abrasion of the pin/hole connection in percentages and, by precisely measuring the product's service life, helps to reduce costs and prevent premature replacement of the e-chain system®.
With the drylin isense linear carriage, the function and wear test is easily carried out at the push of a button. Thanks to the innovative drylin W technology, the linear bearing can be replaced directly on the rail in just a few seconds - with the help of LEDs, the linear carriage indicates when replacement is due. The wear sensor is directly integrated in the linear liner
The term smart plastics is used to refer to components such as e-chain systems® and chainflex® cables for dynamic applications and dry-tech® polymer bearings that – equipped with connectivity and sensors – make complex automation solutions fit for Industry 4.0. A further advantage: smart plastics can network complex automation solutions locally or make them fit for Industry 4.0.
Our additive manufacturing is based on 5 decades of expertise in the industrial manufacture of wear-resistant components made of self-lubricating high-performance polymers for innumerable customers all over the world. With the compounds specially developed for 3D printing, it is now possible to manufacture prototypes, special parts and small volumes quickly and without tool costs. iglidur filaments and SLS powder are many times more wear-resistant than regular 3D printing materials - they are on the same level as iglidur plain bearings made with the injection moulding method. This illustrates their suitability for industrial use as long-lasting function-performing parts.
In addition to diversely usable materials with tribological properties, we supply special solutions with FDA-compliance, ESD protection and fire retardance as well as advanced manufacturing technologies such as multi-material printing and 3D printing with incorporated sensors for predictive maintenance. Our materials can be purchased in the online shop for independent further processing or components can be ordered through our online 3D printing service with just a few clicks of the mouse by means of a STEP file. The goods are usually delivered within 1 to 3 days.
The iglidur 3D printing polymers are thoroughly tested in the in-house igus test lab with regard to wear and friction, as a result of which the service life of igus 3D printed components, e.g. in the form of gears or plain bearings, can be calculated online in advance. In addition to special polymers, we provide a specialist consultation service, practical online tools and configurators, learning and further-training material, as well as free samples of our materials and the components made from them.
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