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What is iglidur®?


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

What are iglidur materials made of?

All iglidur materials consist of three components: base polymers, fibres and fillers, solid lubricants. As it is not possible for one universal material to fulfil all tasks equally well, there are different iglidur materials. Each has a different composition of the three components and a different application area.

Base polymers

iglidur base polymers The base polymers are responsible for the iglidur materials' wear resistance. They ensure that the lubricants are not subjected to a surface pressure that is too high.  

Fibres and fillers

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

Solid lubricants

iglidur base polymers with fibres and solid lubricants They lubricate components made of iglidur materials independently and prevent friction. They are distributed in the entire material in the form of microscopic particles.

How does self-lubrication work?

Millions of the solid lubricants are embedded in tiny chambers in the solid, usually fibre-reinforced material. From these chambers, the material releases infinitesimal amounts of solid lubricants during movement. This is sufficient to satisfactorily lubricate the immediate surrounding area.

What's more, they help reduce the coefficient of friction of the iglidur materials. They are not indispensable for the bearings' function, but have a supporting effect. Since they are embedded in the tiny chambers, they cannot be forced out.

Thanks to self-lubrication, maintenance can be reduced to a minimum wherever iglidur materials are used. The incorporated solid lubricants make regular relubrication unnecessary, and dirt or dust cannot stick to the bearing.
Base polymer with fibres and solid lubricants, magnified 200 times, dyed Base polymer with fibres and solid lubricants, magnified 200 times, dyed

Test in the test lab and igus online tool

Predictable service life

iglidur® materials have been tested thousands of times under realistic conditions and have proven their worth millions of times in many different applications. The data obtained from the tests flows into the free igus online tool, with which the service life can be exactly predicted, e.g. for plain bearings, bar stock and slewing ring bearings made of iglidur materials.

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

Test parameters:

  • Rotation
  • Speed v = 0.3m/s
  • Load p = 1N/mm²
  • Shaft material: V2A
The result shows that the different base polymers achieve very different lifetimes. iglidur® achieves a comparatively high value as a compound based on one of the base polymers also tested.
iglidur wear compared with other plastics

Comparison of plain bearings

iglidur plain bearings compared to metal, sintered and needle bearings

Find out how iglidur plain bearings compare to metal, sintered and needle bearings, and learn about their advantages and disadvantages.

More about iglidur materials

Which load and surface pressure are iglidur materials suitable for? What is the sliding speed, and for what temperatures are the materials permitted? You can find answers to these and further questions here.

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Sample box - iglidur plain bearings

iglidur improves sample box The sample box contains 39 plain bearings made of different materials. With the included templates, you can find the suitable material without problems.
Order now for free!

All materials in detail

Test tube with granules You can find details on the different material categories and their properties in our material overview.
Go to the materials overview


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igus® GmbH points out that it does not sell any products of the companies Allen Bradley, B&R, Baumüller, Beckhoff, Lahr, Control Techniques, Danaher Motion, ELAU, FAGOR, FANUC, Festo, Heidenhain, Jetter, Lenze, LinMot, LTi DRiVES, Mitsubishi, NUM,Parker, Bosch Rexroth, SEW, Siemens, Stöber and all other drive manufacturers mention on this website. The products offered by igus® are those of igus® GmbH