Breakthrough in linear technology
March 2023
Motion Control & Drives
To maximise the service life of a linear guide and keep the drive energy low, it is important to minimise friction and wear. Motion plastics specialist, igus has now achieved a breakthrough in tribological plastics with iglidur E3. This is a new sliding material that has a friction coefficient that is up to 40% better. This opens up flexibility of design in linear technology and expands 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 iglidur E3 sliding material. It 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. The traditional 2:1 rule 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 that the drive can be 50% further away without impairing linear guide movement, while the required drive forces are reduced to provide 40% energy savings in electrically-driven applications. The drylin T miniature guide slides better without harmful lubricants, and the solid lubricants incorporated into the material of the high-performance plastics ensure low noise operation, high resistance to dirt and no need for maintenance.
Further reading:
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