Why system suppliers and OEMs in the auto industry trust igus parts

Dirk Tietz | 11. March 2020 (edited by Shizu Yamaguchi)

igus polymers are low‑noise, dry-running, and weigh less than metal bearings. Because of these qualities, more and more OEMs and customers from the automotive industry have adopted igus components into their machines.

Listed below are additional reasons why our customers have switched from using metal parts to engineered plastic parts.

Reason 1: Weight advantages
Replacing out metal with plastics in cars can lead to weight reduction up to a factor of seven. This reduction in turn leads to lower fuel consumption by vehicles and lowers CO₂ emissions overall. These advantages benefit designers, end customers, and the planet.

Reason 2: Quiet
Noises are perceived more readily and experienced as more disruptive in vehicles with quiet electric drives over vehicles with conventional combustion engines. As we further favour electric vehicles, the quiet operation and dampening specs offered by drylin linear guides and other components manufactured by igus are becoming more and more valuable.

Reason 3: Cost‑effective
Fewer components, a more cost‑effective manufacturing process (plastic injection molding), and less maintenance (due to self‑lubrication) makes linear guides with polymer plain bearings up to 40% more cost‑effective than comparable metal bearings.

Reason 4: Lubrication‑free
Especially in automotive interiors, grease-free parts have a natural advantage. These parts have solid lubricants integrated in the polymers, making additional lubrication of linear bearings, for example, unnecessary. With no grease required for proper operation, seating and other car interior surfaces would not be subject to getting dirty or stained.

Resinification, volatilization of grease, or relubrication during maintenance are things of the past, as materials such as PTFE, graphite and others are homogeneously integrated in bearing material. Not only do these integrations ensure very low friction coefficients and displacement forces, but penetrating dirt does not adhere to the bearing or cause increased wear.

Reason 5: Many components from stock
Whether for central armrests, sliding roofs, consoles, drawers, seat adjusters or other linear applications, plastics‑based alternatives to recirculating ball bearings are offered by igus. igus also offers purchasers and designers a wide range of reliable guide rails, coupling joints, high helix threads and much more. In addition, there are no minimum order surcharges for even very small quantities.

Special geometries or very small batches are often produced using 3D printing. Special bearings made of tribologically optimized polymers can be delivered to the customer in short transit times. Find out more by contacting us at www.igus.ca.

Reason 6: Personal consultation
Although we provide a plethora of online tools that can assist you with your application, a personal conversation on the phone or on‑site with your application in view is difficult to replace. Especially in the case of customer‑specific components, a discussion can help to coordinate the right design, tolerances, and materials. Do not hesitate to reach out to us.

We are available:

• By phone at 1‑800‑965‑2496 from 8am to 5pm ET, Monday to Friday
• By live chat with technically trained agents at www.igus.ca
• By booking a web appointment

We look forward to hearing from you.