Motek 2023: igus presents new plain bearing made of plastic regranulate
October 19, 2023
The ECO P210, a chemical-resistant variant, has been added to the iglidur ECO series
Plastic is a valuable resource. Not a gramme should be lost. That’s why igus produces regranulate for the iglidur ECO plain bearing series from sprue and defective injection-moulded parts. New to the range and on display at the Motek 2023 trade show in Stuttgart: the iglidur ECO P210, a chemical-resistant version.
The new iglidur ECO P210 plain bearing is suitable for machines that regularly come into contact with chemicals, from agitators and laboratory mills to filtration devices and car washes. The maximum recommended surface pressure at room temperature is 50MPa. This corresponds to 5,000 kilogrammes per square centimetre. The application temperature is between -40°C and 100°C. As with all igus plain-bearing materials, no external lubrication with oil or grease is necessary. Solid lubricants are integrated into the material to ensure low-friction dry operation.
Laboratory tests prove the power of the ECO series
“Our in-house laboratory tests show that plain bearings made of regranulate provide almost the same performance as the conventional iglidur P210 series. They are similarly resistant to edge pressure, shocks and impacts with only slight concessions,” says Stefan Loockmann-Rittich, Head of Business Unit iglidur Plain Bearings at igus. “The ECO variant can therefore also handle the majority of applications.” igus provides an online tool for precise service life calculation. Customers can use it to quickly find out whether the ECO variant is worthwhile in their specific case. ECO P210 is the fifth member of the iglidur ECO family. Also available are ECO H, a material for corrosive and hot environments; ECO P, a material with low moisture absorption for outdoor applications with high humidity; ECO G, an all-rounder that is resistant to high loads, and ECO A180, a very low-cost plain bearing. “All ECO materials consist of at least 97% regranulate,” says Loockmann-Rittich.
igus is driving the transformation into a sustainable circular economy
The ECO series development is part of the igus sustainability strategy. Among other things, igus shows the CO₂ footprint of best-selling iglidur materials. This enables customers to compare and select the bearing with the lowest CO₂ footprint. igus is striving to transform the classic linear plastics economy into a sustainable circular economy. To this end, it not only recycles, but also invests in innovative technologies, such as those from Mura Technology, a British company that is developing a process to turn plastic back into crude oil using water, high temperatures and pressure.