New xiros ball bearing materials from igus
17 February 2012
Since xiros ball bearings were launched five years ago, polymer material and bearings expert igus has completed lots of development work resulting in five separate xiros ball bearing materials, many new dimensions and a wide range of different designs available ex-stock within 24 hours. In addition, specially developed engineering tools for design engineers, ranging from 3D CAD downloads through to the xiros Lifetime Calculator are available to use online.
Lubricant and maintenance-free, xiros polymer ball bearings can endure temperatures of up to +150°C, are highly corrosion-resistant, can be washed and cleaned, are non-magnetic and are light weight. According to Matthew Aldridge of igus UK, xiros ball bearings provide an economic alternative for many applications where the use of conventional metallic ball bearings is problematic.
These applications are varied, ranging from all kinds of medical equipment, pumps and measurement machines, through to transport and conveying technology – particularly in the industrial sectors of chemicals, food, laboratories and packaging.
“These are applications where the focus is not on maximum load and speed, but on other features such as chemical resistance or submerged components,” explains Mr Aldridge. “In such applications, lubricants can be washed out of the metallic, sealed and permanently lubricated ball bearings, so that corrosion becomes a significant problem.”
In addition to the lack of lubricant and corrosion, weight reduction, the avoidance of magnetism, very good friction coefficients and longer service life are further benefits of the use of xiros plastic ball bearings.
New xiros ball bearing materials
The general purpose ball bearing material xirodur B180, low-price chemical resistant xirodur C160 and high-temperature xirodur A500 are now complemented with the addition of xirodur F180 and xirodur D180 materials.
xirodur F180 is a conductive polymer that provides electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection. Bearings from this material can be used permanently at temperatures of up to 80°C and are therefore well-suited to a variety of applications, including those found in the semiconductor, paper processing, textile and glass industries.
The second new material is xirodur D180, which is 4 times more wear-resistant than the general purpose material xirodur B180. The inner and outer ring of the xiros D180 bearing is made of the new high-performance material, the cage is made of PA, the balls either of glass or stainless steel and operating temperature is 80°C.
“Our laboratory testing of the xiros D180 bearings indicates that they can be 72 times more wear-resistant than ball bearings made of PEEK,” says Aldridge. “We also tested ball bearings made of PE, PP, PA and POM – all of these gave a significantly shorter service life. Ongoing material optimisation, along with a comprehensive series of tests, has enabled us to increase the service lives of our xiros plastic ball bearings by a factor of 42 since the birth of xiros in 2007.”
More xiros designs
The range of dimensions has also been increased; igus now offers more than a hundred sizes, shapes and styles. These range from radial and axial bearings, multi-purpose bearings for both linear and rotational movements, ball transfer units, pedestal bearings and flange bearings through to ball bearings with dust shields. “The standard range is supplemented by tailor-made, customer-specific solutions, which are becoming increasingly important,” adds Aldridge.
xiros Lifetime Calculator
In addition to its service life calculators for plain bearings, linear bearings, spherical bearings and semi-finished materials, igus has also developed the xiros Lifetime Calculator. With this simple to use online tool, engineers can choose a design size and enter the speed and loads of their application; it then calculates the expected service life of the application, allowing igus to offer the optimum solution to every customer.
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