Product category:
Bearings, lubrication, oil and filters
News Release from: Igus UK | Subject: Green bearings
Edited by the Processingtalk Editorial
Team on 12 May 2008
iglidur bearings in any colour are
always green
iglidur plain bearings are tribologically optimised to ensure that no lubrication is ever required: these bearings run without any oil or grease, so no contaminants escape into the environment
Current estimations are that over 40% of all lubricants are ultimately released into the environment, by seeping into water or soil, or evaporating into the atmosphere A study by a research team of chemists, mechanical engineers and environmentalists at the RWTH University in Aachen, Germany, found that Germany alone consumes 250,000 tonnes of lubricants each year
This article was originally published on Processingtalk on 28 Jun 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
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To put this into perspective, this would fill 8000 standard tanker lorries.
Most countries have a threshold level permissible in waste streams, and hundreds of millions of pounds are spent annually treating the waste water to get to acceptable levels.
The iglidur plain bearings from igus are tribologically optimised to ensure that no lubrication is ever required.
Further reading
Valve actuator uses plastic bearings for life
QTRCO, a Texas-based manufacturer of a line of 1/4-turn rack-and-gear valve actuators designed to increase life cycle, has changed to plastic bearings: these provide more cycle life and less wear
igus ESD Energy Chains are now even more efficient
igus expands its line of Electro Static Discharge (ESD) Energy Chains to deliver a quiet, smooth operation whilst meeting SEMI requirements for charge process and discharge in hazardous areas
These bearings run without any oil or grease, so no contaminants escape into the environment.
The continuous development of the igus product range means that more and more applications which traditionally use lubricated metal plain bushes can now benefit from environmentally friendly plastic iglidur bearings.
The manufacture of plastic plain bearings is very positive from an environmental point of view.
While 15 litres of oil are required to produce 1 litre of aluminium, and 11 litres of oil to make 1 litre of steel, only 1.8 litres of oil are necessary to produce 1 litre of plastic.
In fact, only 4% of the world's oil production is used in the manufacture of plastics, and this value is likely to decrease with the progress that is being made in the organic production of polymers.
Also, the first steps are being made in extracting carbon dioxide from power station emissions and using this to produce polymers such as polycarbonate and polyurethane.
Lubricant-free and light weight.
As well as the "no lubrication" environmental benefit of iglidur bearings, there is also the issue of weight reduction.
The light weight bearings also help to reduce fuel consumption and carbon dioxide output in vehicles, aircraft, and plant machinery.
Basically, the reduced weight leads to a lower required drive force, and subsequently lower energy consumption.
Also, iglidur polymer plain bearings have, as standard, high chemical resistance, whereas metal plain bearings often have to be coated to achieve this.
The coating methods used include zinc plating, treatment and galvanising, which is both unhealthy and high in energy consumption.
iglidur plain polymer bearings are designed to be dimensionally interchangeable with lubricated plain metal bearings.
Go green with minimal effort, fit iglidur polymer bearings and protect our future. Request a free brochure from Igus UK ...
iglidur: the green bearing!.
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