When speed is absolutely required: FastLine delivers injection-molded special plain bearings in 7 days

When market demand for a product is high, manufacturers and their suppliers are needed. Custom components, such as plain bearings in special shapes, must be delivered quickly and without complications. But it is not unusual for the production of special components made by injection molding to take several weeks. This is why the plastics specialist igus now offers its customers the FastLine service made possible by expanding its own mold department. Lubricant-free, polymer plain bearings in special sizes can be delivered within days at cost-effective unit prices.

When production of a wear-resistant special bearing must be fast, many users either think of 3D printing or milling the desired components from semi-finished parts. But for production in larger quantities of 1,000 pieces or more, both processes are too expensive in the long run. Therefore, igus now offers the production of cost-effective and highly wear-resistant plain bearings in special sizes on an injection molding basis through its FastLine service. This means that batches can be produced and shipped to the user in just a few days. "By investing in our mold department with its own production line for round components with modern CNC technology, we are now able to respond even faster to customer needs," explains Stefan Loockmann-Rittich, Business Unit Manager of iglidur at igus GmbH. "In addition to our large catalog program of polymer plain bearings, which are available from stock, we produce custom components cost-effectively in just a few days with the right injection mold."

Printed, milled or injection molded?

But how does the customer find out when injection molding is worthwhile or whether another production process is more cost-effective? For this, igus offers the iglidur Designer to. In the online tool, the customer can simply enter the dimensions of the plain bearing, select the desired material, define the quantity and then gets an overview of the production process and the related costs.

Fast delivery of special plain bearings for ergometer series

ergoline GmbH is also using the FastLine Service. The ergometer manufacturer was looking for a suitable maintenance-free plain bearing solution for the height adjustment of its new program. Plain bearings in standard sizes were not an option due to the special internal and external diameters. Initial tests were carried out successfully with turned bearings made from iglidur semi-finished material, but batch production had to be started quickly because of high market demand. "Six weeks for a regular die was too late for us and turning bearings from semi-finished products was too time-consuming and too expensive," explains Dominik Huber, developer at ergoline GmbH. "That's why we were pleased with the igus FastLine service. It took only four days from order to delivery. And the price is three times cheaper than expected." Because the mold has been retained, ergoline can continue to benefit from cost-effective injection molding of its parts in the future.