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What is iglidur?
iglidur are materials developed by igus from high-performance polymers that are characterised by their special specifications. Their special composition makes them extremely wear-resistant, resilient and self-lubricating. Their service life can be precisely determined. In addition, each iglidur material leads to individual plain bearing specifications and strengths that make it suitable for special applications.
What you will find on this page
What are iglidur materials made of?
All our materials are made up of three components: base polymers, fibres and fillers, solid lubricants. Since a universal material cannot fulfil all tasks equally well, there are different iglidur materials. Each has a different proportion of the three components and a different application area.
How does self-lubrication work?
Millions of the solid lubricants are embedded in tiny chambers in the solid, usually fibre-reinforced material. From these chambers, the material releases infinitesimal amounts of solid lubricants during movement. This is adequate to sufficiently lubricate the immediate surrounding area.
They also help reduce the coefficient of friction of the iglidur materials. They are not indispensable for the bearings' function, but have a supporting effect. Since they are embedded in the tiny chambers, they cannot be forced out.
Thanks to self-lubrication, maintenance can be reduced to a minimum wherever iglidur materials are used. Regular relubrication is not necessary due to the incorporated solid lubricants and dirt or dust cannot accumulate. This also contributes to sustainability.
Wear test: iglidur compared to other plastics
Various base polymers that are frequently used in bearing technology were tested, as well as the igus material iglidur J. With the same test parameters, the materials had very different service life. This can be achieved, for example, by adding reinforcing materials or solid lubricants.
Test parameter
- Rotation
- Speed v = 0.3m/s
- Load p = 1N/mm²
- Shaft material: V2A
Other plain bearing plastics and their specifications
POM
This material is easy to process and work with, which is why it is so versatile. POM plastic is also wear-resistant and comparatively inexpensive. However, it quickly reaches its limits at high temperatures and loads. POM also tends to emit small amounts of formaldehyde, which is why the material must not be used in vehicle interiors, for example. However, it is used, e.g. in hand mixers or packaging lines.
PA66
PA66 is also versatile and inexpensive, but in contrast to POM it is also significantly stronger and somewhat more temperature-resistant. However, this material is less easy to machine. PA66 is more wear-resistant than POM, has good friction behaviour and high mechanical strength. This is why it is often used for bearing points subject to high stress. The addition of fillers and reinforcing materials results in many different specifications and applications.
PEEK
Is often used for plain bearings and can be described as a high-end material. It can be used at temperatures above 200°C, is resistant to chemicals and has good strength and tribological specifications. However, PEEK is comparatively expensive and can cost 20 times as much as POM or PA66. PEEK is often used where other plastics cannot withstand and metallic bearings can only be lubricated or protected against corrosion at great expense.
White paper: iglidur vs. other plastics
Plain bearing materials in the test: iglidur versus conventional plastics
The white paper deals with the following topics, among others:
- How do I find the suitable plastic plain bearing?
- What plain bearing materials are there and what are their characteristics?
- How do plain bearing materials perform in comparison?
- What wear quality do the different plain bearing materials have? (Test methods, test results)
PTFE-free and PFAS-tested materials
Due to the current discussion about a ban on PTFE or PFAS, we have compiled all the important information relating to our iglidur materials for you here. You will also find a list of all iglidur materials that do not contain PTFE or have been tested for PFAS, which are known to be harmful to health.
Specifications of our iglidur materials
Are iglidur plain bearings RoHS-compliant?
The key word "RoHS" is based on EU guideline 2002/95/EU ("RoHS 1") which was replaced on 3 January 2013 by EU guideline 2011/65/EU ("RoHS 2"). It regulates the restriction and limit values of undesirable substances in electrical and electronic equipment available in the EU. These include lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls (PBB) and diphenyl ethers (PBDE).
Our materials are RoHS 2 compliant in accordance with EU guideline 2011/65/EU. We are happy to send corresponding explicit confirmations upon request.
Predictable service life
iglidur materials have been tested thousands of times in practical trials and proven millions of times in application. The test data from the trials are fed into the free igus online tools, which can be used, e.g. to precisely predetermine the service life of plain bearings.
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