Lubrication-free roller bearing in a deburring machine

What was needed? 
Corrosion-resistant and lubrication-free ball bearings

Requirements:
Wear and corrosion resistance

Industry sector
Electronics industry / semiconductor industry

Success for the customer:
The durable xiros deep groove ball bearings made of the high-performance plastic xirodur® B180 provide an ideal roller bearing for this deburring system for printed circuit boards. They withstand the humid environment and are in continuous use after a one-year test run.

CONTAG AG was looking for a suitable ball bearing for the roller bearing of its PCB deburring machine that would withstand the humid environment in the long term and also be characterised by wear resistance. In addition, the ball bearing had to have minimal bearing clearance at the end of the test. To this end, the company tested xiros plastic ball bearings from igus® and their metal counterparts in a one-year comparative test.

After one year, the xiros ball bearings achieved a good result in terms of service life compared to metal ball bearings. The metal bearing variant, which had to be completely degreased, corroded quite quickly due to the damp environment, seized up and ultimately failed. At xiros, hardly any differences in terms of wear and play could be detected at the end of the test. The system was completely converted to the polymer ball bearings.