What is iglidur®?

iglidur® are materials developed by igus® from high-performance polymers that are characterised by their special specifications: Their special composition makes them extremely wear-resistant, resilient and self-lubricating. Their service life can be precisely determined . In addition, each iglidur® material has individual specifications and strengths that make it suitable for special applications.

What are iglidur® materials made of?

All iglidur® materials are made up of three components: Base polymers, fibres and fillers, solid lubricants. Since not one universal material can fulfil all tasks equally well, there are different iglidur® materials. The composition of the three components and the field of application is different for each one.

Base polymers

The base polymers are responsible for the wear resistance of iglidur materials. They ensure that the solid lubricants are not subjected to excessive surface pressure.

Fibres and fillers

These components strengthen the materials so that they withstand high forces or edge loads and can be used continuously.

Solid lubricants

They lubricate components made of iglidur materials independently and prevent friction. They are distributed throughout the material in the form of microscopic particles.

How does self-lubrication work?

Base polymer with fibres and solid lubricants, magnified 200 times, dyed

The solid lubricants are embedded millions of times in tiny chambers in the solid, usually fibre-reinforced material. The material releases tiny amounts of the solid lubricants from these chambers. This is enough to sufficiently lubricate the immediate surroundings.

They also help to reduce the coefficient of friction of the iglidur® materials. They are not indispensable for the function of the bearing, but have a supporting effect. As they are embedded in the tiny chambers, they cannot push away.

Thanks to the self-lubricating effect, maintenance on iglidur® materials can be reduced to a minimum. Regular relubrication is not necessary due to the incorporated solid lubricants and dirt or dust cannot settle.

Predictable service life

Test in the test lab and igus online tool

iglidur® materials have been tested thousands of times in practical trials and proven millions of times in application. The test data from the trials flow into the free igus® online tool, with which the service life for e.g. plain bearings, bar stock and slewing ring bearings made of iglidur® materials can be precisely predicted.

Online tools for service life prediction

Specifications of our iglidur materials

Surface Speed

What is the maximum recommended surface speed for iglidur materials?

Surface speed of iglidur materials

Load limits

Find out what load limits we recommend for our iglidur materials.

Load limits of iglidur materials

Coefficient of friction

Depending on their material composition, our iglidur materials have different coefficients of friction.

Coefficient of friction of iglidur materials

Wear resistance

Here you can find out what wear rates iglidur materials show under different influences.

Wear resistance of iglidur materials

Permitted temperatures

The permissible temperatures for iglidur materials are often underestimated.

Permissible temperatures for iglidur materials

Assembly instructions

A list of things to consider when assembling iglidur plain bearings.

This must be taken into account during assembly

Wear test: how does iglidur perform compared to other plastics?

iglidur wear compared with other plastics

Test parameters:

Rotation
Speed v = 0.3 m/s
load p = 1 N/mm²
Shaft material: 304 SS

The results show that the various base polymers achieve very different service lives. iglidur® achieves a comparatively high value as a compound based on one of the base polymers also tested.

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Sample box - iglidur plain bearings

39 Plain bearings made from various materials are included in the sample box. With the included templates, you can find a suitable material without problems.

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