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3D printing repairs with self-lubricating polymers

The 3D printing materials consisting of iglidur polymers are ideal for the replacement of worn or broken individual parts or special parts. Many igus customers from different industries save a lot of time and money by having replacement parts printed from the wear-resistant tribo-polymers or by purchasing tribofilament and making replacement parts themselves as and when needed.
Private persons can also increase the service life of their devices with replacement parts made of iglidur materials - provided they can design the required replacement parts themselves and/or have their own 3D printer. For those who don't have the knowledge or infrastructure to create replacement parts themselfs, there are several options to find support: In Germany we are cooperating with the Verbund Offener Werkstätten (Association of Open Workshops) (german page). Here you can find support online or locally, to help you with the design and manufacturing of a part. In your country you can find support through workshops, fab labs, makerspaces and other open workshops in your vicinity that have the necessary infrastructure for making parts yourself. We're working to expand our cooperation internationally, in order to make repairs with 3D printing available for everybody. If you are a member of a Repair Workshop Association, don't hesitate to contact us for cooperation suggestions.

Filament donation for local not-for-profits workshops

In many cities and communities, there are also local repair initiatives that conduct repair events regularly or occasionally. Not all repair initiatives have their own 3D printers, but many can refer you to partners with better equipment - all you have to do is ask. If the repair initiative in your vicinity has a 3D printer but no igus filament, you are welcome to give the local contact person of the provider the link to the form for our filament donation. Not-for-profit open workshops and repair initiatives can obtain up to two rolls of filament per enquiry completely free of charge.

Request a filament donation

Free filament for makerspaces and repair cafés

Useful links for 3D printing repairs

Free CAD configurators

CAD Configurator for 3D printing

In order to print a component, a 3D module must first be created with CAD software and converted into a STEP file. Whether gears, bearings or lead screw nuts - with our CAD configurators (registration not necessary), anyone can easily and quickly design the appropriate component online, even without any CAD experience. In our blog, you can find detailed instructions on the use of CAD configurators.

3D Printing Design Guide

3D printing design guide

What must be borne in mind for successful 3D printing of components? The design affects the quality of the result and the service life of the finished replacement part. In our free guide, you will find out what you have to bear in mind.

Design guidelines for 3D printing

Our materials

3D printing materials for replacement parts

In addition to the easy-to-process filament iglidur i150, we have a wide range of special filaments for special requirements such as fire protection, heat resistance or the ability to dissipate static electricity. Moreover, our range of products includes laser sintering powder, which we use in our 3D printing service for the fast manufacture of special parts and volumes of 1 to 10,000.

Wear-resistant 3D printing material

Customer examples of 3D printing repairs with iglidur materials

3D printed replacement parts for pianos

New hammer for an old piano

With a grand piano, the strings are struck by hammers and then make a sound. They are usually made of wood and eventually become less precise and have to be serviced regularly. If the hammer does not strike the strings precisely, unwanted side tones result. The engineer Richard Dain thought it was time to fundamentally improve the grand piano's technology. Together with igus, the "D3D hammer system" was developed, which has all the advantages of the traditional system. The designers at Phoenix even expect the new system to have a longer service life for the grand piano as unwanted side effects are a thing of the past. The simple change from wood to plastic alone significantly reduced sensitivity to moisture and temperature.

More about piano replacement parts made of iglidur materials

3D printed replacement parts for vintage car

3D printed vintage spare parts

Procuring replacement parts for vintage cars can sometimes be very difficult. For rare items in particular, obtaining spare parts can sometimes be very time-consuming or even impossible. This is where 3D printed replacement parts open up new possibilities. The mileage counter in the speedometer of a Stanley 750B from 1924 was no longer working. When the speedometer was taken to pieces, the fault became clear: the gear on the first intermediate shaft which meshes with the worm gear on the input shaft was completely ruined. The pinion was no longer engaging with the worm gear.
With the FreeCAD programme, the user was able to create the necessary CAD file. Everything else went very quickly: with the igus 3D printing service, the required replacement part was printed in just a few days from the self-lubricating polymer iglidur i6. The result was convincing.

Complete report on the 3D printed part used to repair a vintage car

Fast 3D printing of plain bearings as replacement parts for a camera trolley

3D printed replacement part ready to collect in just a few hours

The Berlin-based company Blackcam develops compact solutions for remote-controlled camera trolleys that travel over narrow rails, almost invisible to viewers, during live broadcasts of concerts and sporting events. On the way to a trade show, Blackcam engineer Ferenc Tiefenbach discovered a defective plain bearing in, of all things, the prototype of a new movement system for football matches. He did not have a spare part with him. Thanks to igus' fast 3D printing service, it was possible to print the part needed using iglidur i180 and deliver it in just a few hours.

More about the express 3D printing service for replacement parts

3D printed lubrication-free replacement parts

Repairing prams with 3D printed replacement parts

Folding bicycles, prams, wheelchairs - for transport purposes, many devices can be folded or partially dismantled and then re-assembled quickly and effortlessly. Unfortunately, there is an unpleasant side to this: lubricating oil on the metal parts. At best, you only get it on your hands, at worst, you get it on your clothes as well. Is that really necessary? Not if replacements for the worn metal parts are printed from self-lubricating iglidur polymers from igus.

Cost-effective 3D printing of replacement parts

Copy of expensive special part easily printed

Conti Tech Schlauch GmbH needed a cross-threaded spindle for a winding machine which ensures that the thread is laid directly or via a thread guide running through the groove. The solution used previously necessitated the regular replacement of individual components, which were difficult to obtain however, and were also cost-intensive due to the complicated geometry of the cross-threaded spindle. Now, the cross-threaded spindle is produced with the igus 3D printing service whereby the spindle is made of iglidur i3, a laser sintering material. The company has been able to reduce its costs by around 50 per cent, as the classic method of manufacturing the complex geometry of the cross-threaded spindle was twice as expensive. The sliding properties of the replacement parts were also improved due to the use of iglidur.

3D printed gear as replacement part for tractor

3D printed replacement part for an igus tractor

A small defective gear in one of our tractors meant that the engine no longer started and that the tractor would have to be scrapped. The part that had to be replaced was damaged and had to be copied. Our maintenance team took on the job and successfully re-created the structural design of the part. The 3D printing model was then uploaded and ordered internally via the online 3D printing service. As the part concerned was a gear, iglidur i6, an SLS material specially developed for the manufacture of gears, was used. The printed component was ready in just a few hours and was installed immediately without having to be machined. The tractor is now working perfectly.

For 3D printing applications

Further user reports of applications with 3D printed parts made of iglidur polymers

Whether for replacement parts, special parts, prototypes or volumes - the areas of use for wear-resistant 3D printed parts are manifold. Numerous customers profit from the flexibility of the design process for 3D printing and the long service life of iglidur parts.

Find out more about the areas of use of iglidur 3D printing materials

Sustainability at igus

3D printing for sustainability

As a plastics manufacturer, we are aware of our special responsibility to the environment. With our products, we want to improve technology and reduce costs - without losing sight of the importance of recycling and protection of the environment. We espouse recycling and sustainable production, and are involved in numerous resource-conservation projects.

Find out more about the topic of sustainability at igus GmbH

Consulting

I look forward to answering your questions

Marius Brenner

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