Maintenance-free plain bearings for 1,028 sun-protection slats in the E.ON technical centre

• What was needed: iglidur ® J plastic plain bearing
• Requirements: The bearing points should be corrosion-resistant and durable. In addition to easy adjustment of the louvres, the system should also be maintenance-free.
• Industry: Façade technology
• Success for the customer: Thanks to the incorporated solid lubricants in the iglidur® material of the plain bearings, no maintenance measures are required and the adjustment of the slats is almost noiseless.

A total of 1,026 new solar shading louvres were installed at the E.ON technical centre in Salzgitter to provide solar shading. The architecturally sophisticated double façade also keeps the heat inside the building and thus helps to save energy. For this reason, the system is also used on many private and public buildings. The individual expanded metal louvres are positioned vertically and are electrically driven. With an angle of inclination of approx. 50°, they offer optimum solar shading with a good view to the outside. To realise the complex façade, a solution was sought for mounting the slats at the pivot point. As the system is exposed to the outside and therefore exposed to wind and weather, the bearings had to be corrosion-resistant and durable. They also had to allow the slats to be adjusted as easily as possible and be maintenance-free. Also to be considered: The more weight that has to be held or moved, the more stable and larger the construction behind it has to be.

Two plain bearings from the iglidur ® J plastic bearing product range were installed per slat on the sun protection façade, which also adjust the construction almost silently in the long term. The reason lies in the incorporated solid lubricants in the iglidur® material of the bearings, which consistently ensures the correct sliding and friction properties of the products. This means that there are no maintenance or servicing costs for the operator, as an external addition of grease or lubricants is not required and the function of the system is always guaranteed.
Thanks to the very good coefficient of friction, the discs move smoothly and smoothly, taking up relatively little installation space. Due to the sporadic adjustment of the louvres, no maintenance interval is currently required.