Breakthrough in linear technology: new igus sliding material offers greater design freedom

40 percent less friction and optimized 3:1 design rule: drylin T miniature conductor with new iglidur E3 material

Whether in an industrial environment or a coffee machine, to maximize the life of a linear guide and keep the required drive energy low, it is important to minimize friction and wear as much as possible. igus, a specialist in motion plastics, has now achieved a breakthrough in tribological plastics: with iglidur E3, igus has developed a new sliding material that has a coefficient of friction that is improved by up to 40%, thus enabling for the first time design flexibility in linear technology for users extending the classic 2:1 rule to 3:1.

The drylin T miniature linear guide offers extremely smooth running and new design freedom thanks to the newly developed iglidur E3 sliding material. Depending on the operating point, this has a coefficient of friction of about 0.16, achieving up to 40 percent less friction compared to standard igus materials, measured on hard anodized aluminum, and even less compared to commercially available sliding materials.

This also means that manual adjustment requires 40 percent less displacement forces. "This is an important step toward greater design freedom, as it allows us for the first time to increase the design space," says Stefan Niermann, head of igus' Linear and Drive Technology business unit. The traditional 2:1 rule, which generally applies to linear bearings, stipulates that the distance between the drive force and the fixed bearing should not be more than twice the bearing clearance. Otherwise, an uneven motion sequence could block the system. The greater the distance between the drive and the guide bearing, the greater the wear and the required drive force. igus has now extended this design rule to 3:1, so that the drive can be 50 percent further away without interfering with the movement of the linear guide. At the same time, the required drive forces are reduced by 40%, which means energy savings of 40% in electrically driven applications. The drylin T miniature guide is available in three sizes (09, 12 and 15) and can be used in applications such as laboratory and medical technology and tool making.

Proven better gliding - without harmful lubricants

The miniature linear carriage with the new iglidur E3 sliding elements offers the well-known advantages of igus motion plastics. The solid lubricants incorporated into the material of the high-performance plastics ensure quiet operation, high resistance to dirt and maintenance-free operation. Eliminating lubrication is good for cost savings as well as for the environment. With new material mixtures and processing as well as countless tests in the igus test laboratory, igus has further pushed the application limits of motion plastics and created new design freedom in linear technology.