Polymer researcher and bearings specialist igus UK has introduced a new heavy-duty plastic plain bearing. The lubricant and maintenance-free iglidur Q2 bearing is made of a completely new tribological material mix that igus injection moulds into low-price polymer plain bearings.

"The lubricant and maintenance-free iglidur Q2 bearing pushes the limits of injection-moulded bearings even further," says Matthew Aldridge of igus UK. "The combination of high wear-resistance and low deformation characteristics makes the iglidur Q2 ideal for heavy-duty pivoting movement."

Initial tests in the company’s own Technical Centre confirm that, depending on the shaft material used, iglidur Q2 performs between 2 and 5 times better than its standard catalogue polymer materials when used in pivoting applications at a radial load of 76 MPa. In addition, this new material can be used at temperatures from -40 to +200 degrees Celsius (+130 degrees for continuous operation).

igus was the first company worldwide to offer service life calculations for plain bearings on the internet, based on the results of more than 25 years of research and application tests under industrial conditions.