Wear-resistant spherical and linear bearings in Niles Simmons machine tools

• What was needed: customised plastic-energy chain, "drylin® W" -linear guide, igubal ® spherical plain bearing, hybrid linear bearing , polymer rotary table bearing
• Requirements: Many movement cycles require particularly lubrication- and maintenance-free as well as wear-free components
• Industry: Machine tool construction
• Success for the customer: simple assembly and disassembly of the rotary table bearings, which are available as unit components, material "iglidur® J" ensures freedom from lubrication and maintenance and particularly high wear resistance, hybrid linear bearings from igus® are also lubrication- and maintenance-free and reduce costs. drive force required in the system

The international company Niles-Simmons Industrieanlagen GmbH focuses its business activities on the research, development, manufacture and sale of machine tools. The mechanical engineering company's philosophy is to manufacture products of the highest quality and innovation and to market them globally. Around 350 employees work at the main site in Chemnitz, with over 1,100 employees worldwide within the entire NSH Group.
The company's multi-product range is specifically based on six different machine concepts, divided between the aerospace, automotive and railway industries, general mechanical engineering and tool and mould making. Typical products include horizontal CNC lathes, CNC turning-milling-drilling machining centres and high-precision milling centres. The NSH Group also plans and realises complete production lines for the automotive industry as well as workshops for the repair and manufacture of railway wheelsets. Thanks to the modular design and the possibility of incorporating additional units, the machines are designed and manufactured to meet the customer's part-specific requirements. The machining centres for a wide range of workpiece sizes have a compact, very ergonomic and user-friendly design. This is complemented by excellent service and maintenance friendliness.
Today, igus® products are used in a wide variety of system components. Most of the elements in the machines are subject to many movement cycles and must therefore be particularly lubrication and maintenance-free. Wear-resistant parts that can keep up with the constantly repetitive work processes are also in demand here.

The machine and plant manufacturer has been working with igus® for many years. Numerous igus® products are installed in the machine tools and machining centres of Niles-Simmons. In addition to customised plastic-energy chains , these also include "drylin® W" -linear guide with polymer sliding elements that are suspended in the machine room. Furthermore,igubal ® spherical plain bearings as well as hybrid linear bearings and polymer sle wing ring bearings are used for various auxiliary movements.
Niles-Simmons now uses lubrication- and maintenance-free iglidur® polymer slewing ring bearings to move the control panels. The support arm system for the control panels was previously purchased as a complete unit from a supplier. However, as the customers of Niles-Simmons wanted to give "their own face", the decision was made to design their own control panel, which would also visually match the respective machining centre. This should be easy to turn and it must be possible to realise lifting movements. Today, two polymer rotary table bearings are each used as a complete unit in the newly designed control panel. The polymer sliding elements are made from the material "iglidur® J". In addition to the main benefit of being lubrication and maintenance-free, the rotary table bearings are highly wear-resistant. Furthermore, the low coefficient of friction ensures a low actuating force when swivelling the desk.
Another advantage is the simple dismantling and assembly of the control panels, as the rotary table bearings form a complete unit. This saves a lot of time when assembling the module, which is simply screwed on. In the case of the control panel described, a special bearing is used. If someone leans improperly on the control panel, high torques act on the bearing. The special bearings absorb a much higher load so that the customer is always on the safe side.