Breakthrough in linear technology
Third Quarter 2022
Shaft power components
To maximise the service life of a linear guide and keep the required drive energy low, it is important to reduce friction and wear. German manufacturer, igus, a motion plastics specialist, has achieved a breakthrough in tribological plastics with iglidur E3. The company has developed a new sliding material that has a friction coefficient that is up to 40% better and able to open up flexibility of design in linear technology and expand the coefficient from the classic 2:1 rule to 3:1.
The drylin T miniature linear slide offers extremely smooth running and new design freedom thanks to the newly developed iglidur E3 sliding material. Depending on the operating point, this has a friction coefficient of around 0,16 and thus achieves up to 40% less friction compared to the igus standard materials, measured on hard-anodised aluminium, and even less compared to commercially available sliding materials. It also means that manual adjustment requires 40% lower displacement forces.
The traditional 2:1 rule applying to linear plain bearings states that the distance between the driving force and the fixed bearing should not be more than twice the bearing clearance. Otherwise an uneven movement sequence could jam the system. The greater the distance between the drive and the guide bearing, the higher the wear and required drive force. igus has extended this design rule to 3:1, so the drive can be 50% further away without impairing linear guide movement; and the required drive forces are reduced by 40%, giving 40% energy savings in electrically driven applications.
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