Plain bearings by 3D printing: abrasion resistance in test

tkrause | 18. March 2020

“igus 3D printing materials increase the abrasion resistance of 3D printed components by up to a factor of 50 compared to regular 3D printing materials.”

What does this mean in application? In the following video this can be observed very impressively after a relatively short runtime.

Why is the wear resistance so high?

All iglidur materials contain solid lubricants. This increases the abrasion resistance many times over and also considerably reduces the friction between the mating surfaces. This makes all iglidur materials, whether for 3D printing or injection moulding, self-lubricating and maintenance-free over the entire service life.

During the development of these materials in the in-house test laboratory a large number of formulations were developed and tested. Only the best formulations are developed further and finally to a new iglidur material, such as the tribo-filament iglidur I150, which is the most commonly used igus filament. This is due to the very high wear resistance and the very easy processing. It can even be processed on 3D printers without a heated printing bed. Furthermore, this material is in conformity with EU 10/2011 for food applications.

So can I make my own plain bearing?

Yes, with the igus tribo-filament, all types of wear-resistant parts can be produced in 3D printing. These include plain bearings,, gears and drive nuts as well as all other components where friction and wear play a role. All that is required is a 3D printer with freely adjustable temperatures and a nozzle temperature of at least 250°C.

In the following video this is demonstrated by means of a plain bearing on a soap box.