Printed, machined and now injection-molded wear-resistant polymer gears from igus

Gears made of polymer provide power transmission in countless applications, whether on fully automatic coffee machines or in actuators. Especially for the production of long-life wear-resistant gears in large quantities, igus now offers production by injection molding, in addition to mechanical machining based on semi-finished and additive manufacturing. The user has the option of using a wide variety of lubricant-free iglidur materials from igus.

Polymer gears are becoming increasingly popular because, compared to steel gears, they do not require a drop of lubricating oil and are thus maintenance-free. At the same time, polymer ensures quiet operation and significant weight savings. Extremely wear-resistant gears made from 3D printing as well as mechanically machined gears made from iglidur semi-finished products have been offered by igus for several years. For economical high-volume production, the motion plastics specialist has now expanded its program to include injection-molded gears. "By using injection molding, users now have the option of obtaining their gear series from our wide range of different materials," explains Steffen Schack, head of the new iglidur Gear Business Unit at igus GmbH. "Direct from stock, we currently offer injection-molded gears made from the materials xirodur B180 and iglidur F, each in three hub designs." xirodur B180 is a wear-resistant endurance runner and dampens vibrations. iglidur F also has a long service life and is suitable for high-temperature applications. In addition, the black polymer is electrically conductive.

Gears made of iglidur high-performance polymers last 4 times longer

The igus gears developed to date from iglidur high-performance polymers impress with a significantly longer service life than gears made from standard plastics. In its own 3,800-square-meter igus laboratory, the motion plastics specialist subjected its injection-molded, printed and machined gears made from igus materials to rigorous testing. The tests showed that injection-molded gears made from the material xirodur B180 have a life span four times longer than gears made from POM. Depending on the configuration and application scenario, igus offers production using three different processes: for the fast delivery of wear-resistant customized components within a few days, 3D printed gears made from the laser-sintered material iglidur I3 are the right choice. Mechanical machining of iglidur semi-finished material, for example, is suitable for producing gears in large quantities. Injection molding, on the other hand, offers the widest variety of iglidur material and, above all, cost-effective batch production of special sizes.

More information about iglidur gears can be found at: https://www.igus.be/info/gears?L=nl