Securely stored even in heat: New igus material for the food industry

With iglidur AX500, igus has developed a new wear-resistant material for the food industry that is electrically conductive and can also be used at high temperatures, (Source: igus GmbH)

In storage locations of the food and packaging industry, high speeds and temperatures are often encountered. To ensure fail-safe operation of the mechanisms, durable plain bearing solutions are required that can withstand friction and heat over the long term. Another challenge: electrostatic charges. With iglidur AX500, the motion plastics specialist igus has now developed a new wear-resistant material for high-temperature applications that also possesses ESD properties.

How exactly do 10 grams of gummy bears end up in a small bag? For this purpose, so-called dosing systems with highly sensitive mechanisms are used. They portion thousands of bags in a flash. The sweets then reach the box via chutes and edges. All these packaging mechanisms are subjected to wear at high speeds, especially the bearings. Plain bearings made from the new high-performance plastic iglidur AX500 help to make the bearing points maintenance-free and durable. The new material is electrostatically dissipative, ensuring that the bags do not stick together and that employees do not get "shocked." Even in particularly dusty environments, such as during flour processing, a spark can lead to dust explosions. These sparks can occur in the form of small voltage arcs when moving machine parts are not electrically conductive.

Safely and wear-resistant even at high temperatures

iglidur AX500 is additionally specially suitable for applications in high-temperature ranges, for example, in ovens or in bottle cleaning. Thanks to its good chemical resistance, aggressive cleaners cannot damage the bearing. Contact with food is also no problem for iglidur AX500, as the tribologically optimized polymer requires no additional lubrication due to the embedded solid lubricants. Conformity with EU Regulation 10/2011 is also maintained. Compared to lubricated stainless steel bearings, iglidur AX500 plain bearings are not only maintenance-free but also a more cost-effective and lighter solution.

Wear test on the test bench

iglidur AX500 achieves significantly better wear results than the long-life food-grade material iglidur A500. In tests conducted in the company's own 3,800-square-meter laboratory at igus in Cologne, the wear of iglidur A500 and iglidur AX500 was examined rotating on stainless steel shafts. The new material scored up to three times better in terms of wear.

Special dimensions from injection molding available in a few days

igus currently offers the new material in standard dimensions from six to 20 millimeters in diameter, with and without flange. For special dimensions needed in the shortest possible time, customers also have access to the FastLine service. Through the expansion of its in-house toolmaking, igus can now produce and deliver iglidur plastic plain bearings in custom dimensions at cost-effective prices within just a few days.