Individual geometries ready to ship in 1 to 3 days

Calculate the service life of your roller

With the service life calculator for plain bearings, the foreseeable service life of your 3D printed rollers made of iglidur can also be calculated on the basis of the internal coefficient of wear. To do this, choose Type S and enter the necessary ambient parameters. Then, choose the "Rotating" type of movement. In the list of suggested materials, you will see the foreseeable service life of your printed roller.  

Online CAD configurator for rollers

In the roller configurator, you can create the CAD data for different types of roller online. It can be used to create 3D models of the following rollers: cylindrical, spherical, rope pulley, profile rollers Use of the configurator is free of charge and does not require registration.
To order 3D printing of your configured roller, download the model as a STEP file and upload the latter in the upload window on this page in order to select the desired material and compare prices.

Test parameters and results

• Surface pressure: 1MPa
• Surface speed: 0.3 m/s

■ CF53/1.1213: hardened steel
■ 304 SS / AISI 304: stainless steel
 
In the rotation test, printed bushings made of iglidur i3 and iglidur i190, which have optimised sliding properties, are considerably more wear-resistant than equivalent bearings made of the frequently used plastics PA12 and ABS. Moreover, sometimes, they even have a longer service life than injection-moulded and lathed plain bearings with the same dimensions. Conclusion: for individual dimensions and special shapes, the long-lasting 3D printed rollers made of iglidur are the best solution as they last at least as long as parts made with other methods - but, at the same time, can be manufactured more quickly and cost-effectively.  

Y axis: wear rate [mg/km] (a lower wear rate means a longer service life)

1. iglidur i3 (SLS 3D printing)
2. iglidur i190 (FDM 3D printing)
3. PA12 (SLS 3D printing)
4. ABS (FDM 3D printing)
5. PA66 (injection moulding)
6. POM (lathed)
7. PA66 (lathed)

Test parameters and results

• Surface pressure: 1MPa
• Surface speed: 0.3 m/s

■ CF53: hardened steel
■ 1.1213 SS / AISI 304: stainless steel
 
1. iglidur J260
2. iglidur i190
3. Nylon (PA6)
4. Nylon (PA6/ 66)
5. PC

Y axis: wear rate [mg/km] (a lower wear rate means a longer service life)

X axis: service life of the components in hours, based on the coefficient of wear

Test parameters and results

• Surface pressure: 1MPa
• Surface speed: 0.3 m/s

■ CF53: hardened steel
■ 1.1213 SS / AISI 304: stainless steel
 
1. iglidur i180
2. ABS
3. Nylon (PA6)
4. Nylon (PA6/ 66)

Y axis: wear rate [mg/km] (a lower wear rate means a longer service life)

X axis: service life of the components in hours, based on the coefficient of wear

Test parameters and results

• Surface pressure: 1MPa
• Surface speed: 0.3 m/s

■ CF53: hardened steel
■ 1.1213 SS / AISI 304: stainless steel
 
1. iglidur i150
2. iglidur A350
3. PI
4. PPSU

Y axis: wear rate [mg/km] (a lower wear rate means a longer service life)

X axis: service life of the components in hours, based on the coefficient of wear

Test parameters and results

• Surface pressure: 1MPa
• Surface speed: 0.3 m/s

■ CF53: hardened steel
■ 1.1213 SS / AISI 304: stainless steel
 
1. iglidur RW370
2. PI
3. PPSU
 

Y axis: wear rate [mg/km] (a lower wear rate means a longer service life)

X axis: service life of the components in hours, based on the coefficient of wear

3D printing wear tests

iglidur materials for additive manufacturing compared to PLA, ABS and other materials and manufacturing processes

Information about 3D printing at igus

• Materials
• Additive procedures
• Services and support

3D printing news

Innovations in the field of industrial 3D printing. New products and services for additive manufacturing with wear-resistant polymers.

For various types of polymer rollers, production with 3D printing at igus can be worthwhile. The advantages of our iglidur high-performance polymers are illustrated by the example of the knife edge roller from the 3D printer.
Knife edge rollers are always used when conveyed goods need to be carefully moved from one conveyor belt to another. Rollers made of metal require the use of additional bearings or lubricants, which can be a problem when they come into contact with the conveyed material. Our iglidur polymers already contain solid lubricants that ensure that the polymer rollers run with low friction and wear.

This applies not only to our rollers produced in injection moulding and from bar stock, but also to all types of rollers made by the 3D printer.
 
The iglidur polymer knife edge rollers ensure targeted and lubrication-free belt deflection of the transporting conveyor belts. In addition, very small deflection radii and a maximum of space utilisation are possible. Furthermore, the igus knife edge rollers have a very long service life and only need low drive power.

Rollers made of low-wear polymers are used in many areas. If your required roller deviates from a standard dimension or is a special type, then the production of the roller with 3D printing is the solution. At igus, we are also able to process our friction-optimised and wear-resistant iglidur high-performance polymers with 3D printing. Various types of rollers can be produced with the advantages of 3D printing having the same good wear properties as our iglidur injection moulded parts.
 
We can produce different types of rollers with 3D printing. Whether as a single part, a special shape or a small batch, the advantages of our well-known iglidur® polymers apply to the production of knife edge rollers, pulleys, profile rollers, guide rollers, flange rollers or forming rollers with 3D printing.  

Advantages of producing rollers with 3D printing:

• Fast and cost-effective production
• Can be ordered online in our 3D printing service
• Individual shapes feasible with no minimum order quantity
• Complex shapes can be implemented with 3D printing
• Low-wear and friction-optimised iglidur polymers
• Use without additional lubricants - no contamination of the transported goods
• High service life and specifications comparable to injection moulding