Quick replacement of defective plain bearings: 3D printing service for wear-resistant parts

Profile

• What was needed: Plain bearing for remote-controlled camera trolley
• Manufacturing process: igus 3D printing service
• Requirements: Fast availability, wear-resistant, cost-effective
• Material: iglidur i180
• Industry: Camera movement systems
• Success for the customer: Spare part delivered on the same day

A look behind the scenes of any Hollywood film set will almost always reveal a track on which the large camera dolly moves. However, what has worked well for decades for making films is not suitable for live broadcasts of concerts and sports events as these camera dollies can obstruct the audience's view. Blackcam, a Berlin-based company, is therefore developing a new solution: compact, remote-controlled dollies that move the camera over narrow rails. These systems are becoming increasingly popular in the entertainment industry. Ferenc Tiefenbach, an Engineer at Blackcam, often takes exhibits to specialist trade shows. While travelling through Düsseldorf Airport, he was carrying the prototype of a new dolly system developed for football matches when he noticed one of the plain bearings was defective. He did not have a spare part with him. So what could he do? Tiefenbach called in our 3D printing service. We use high-performance plastics to produce small volumes and one-off parts with industrial 3D printers within a very short time.

Upload the CAD model of the part to the igus website, select printing material, for example iglidur i180, a highly wear-resistant, high-performance plastic, and place your order immediately. The part is usually shipped within 24 hours. In the urgent case of Ferenc Tiefenbach, the bearing was ready for collection a few hours after the order was made. Thus, the exhibit was once again ready for the trade show. Tiefenbach is convinced: "It is remarkable that igus is able to manufacture a single component so quickly despite the size of the company." The costs are also reasonable, at €96 for the component.
Among other things, we use the material iglidur i180 for 3D printing. The high-performance plastic is impressive with its high wear resistance. Its superiority over the classic filament made of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) has been proven in experiments in the igus test laboratory. Plain bearings moved on a 0.37m hard-anodised aluminium shaft at a speed of 0.34m per second and a surface pressure of 0.11MPa. The result: The 3D-printed bearing made of ABS showed a wear rate of 13.3μm per km. For the bearing made of iglidur i180 over the same distance, the wear amounted to only 0.8μm. However, the bearings are not only more durable, they are also more economical in operation. They allow for maintenance-free dry operation without the need for lubricating oil. Thus, they are the ideal candidates for Blackcam's camera dollies.