igus® study: drylin® R on wooden shafts

Interview with drylin® Product Developer Lars Fenger

What made you carry out the study "drylin® R on wooden shafts"?
Due to the lower surface pressure of our drylin® linear plain bearings, they are generally suitable for use on round shafts with softer surfaces. This is in stark contrast to ball bearings, which require a hardened surface. Our product range already includes aluminium shafts and tubes, in addition to extremely lightweight carbon shafts. With our study, we are obtaining results with wood, a renewable raw material.

What tests did you conduct?
 To make an initial selection from the different kinds of wood, we tested their flexural strength in the igus® laboratory. We then determined the coefficient of friction and wear results using the suitable types of wood.

What were the results?
 In short ... wood and drylin® linear technology work very well together. We found that the coefficients of friction differ only slightly from the results on steel or aluminium. The wear results for bearings and shafts are also very promising. In combination with our new drylin® R econ linear plain bearing J4, some types of wood, such as steamed beech, are particularly good mating partners and deliver excellent results.

What should you bear in mind?
The tests were carried out in a dry laboratory environment, which means that dirt and moisture can significantly influence the results. We are continuously expanding our test series for wood, with local availability also playing an important role. At the trade show, we want to learn about customers' first experiences with this material and support customer projects with drylin® and wood. Initial customer applications with plain bearings on wooden shafts are already available.