Precision and good sliding properties - with iglidur high-performance polymers for a precisely fitting fixture for a profile saw

• What was needed: Device for a profile saw
• Manufacturing process: Filament extrusion (FDM) & selective laser sintering (SLS)
• Requirements: Accurate fit, good sliding properties, abrasion resistance
• Material: iglidur® i190 & iglidur® i3
• Industry: Machine tools
• Success through cooperation: More precise sawing of the rail possible

The application at a glance:
To ensure that the cutting of the igus® drylin® rail always has exactly the same distance to the first or last hole, the engineers at drylin® designed a device that holds the rail at a right angle to the working surface of the profile saw. Without this device, they would lie at an angle on the work surface, making it difficult to cut the rails with repeat accuracy. With an initial aluminium device, scratches quickly appeared on the rails. For a test phase to find a suitable material, two fixtures of different lengths were manufactured from iglidur® i190 and iglidur® i3. Initial tests speak for themselves: Thanks to the tribological specification of the iglidur® materials, there are no more scratches on the rails and almost identical cutting is now possible.

Linear rails from the igus® drylin®® range are cut to size according to customer requirements using a profile saw, which is also used for large orders. When clamping the rail, a pin is inserted into the first hole so that the distance between the hole and the end of the rail can be defined. This is important to ensure that the rail fits perfectly in the customer's application. However, this has not always been exact in the past, as the rail was positioned at an angle on the work surface and the conical pin could not be inserted into the hole at the correct angle. A precisely fitting fixture was therefore needed to hold the rail at a right angle to the profile saw and thus guarantee that the pin would engage correctly in the hole. The material of the fixture also had to have good sliding properties so as not to cause any damage, such as scratches, to the rail. Furthermore, a high wear resistance of the device was important, as it is exposed to high stress in daily use.

A first device made of aluminium caused scratches on the rails. An alternative solution was quickly found in the 3D printing service from igus. Within a very short time, a long and a short fixture for the saw cell were constructed. The larger part could be manufactured quickly in the filament extrusion process from iglidur i190 , whereas the smaller part could be planned and printed more easily in selective laser sintering from iglidur I3. Both tribologically optimised materials were able to meet the requirements. There are no more scratches on the rails and the accuracy of fit provides better stability and increased accuracy when sawing.

In contrast to conventional manufacturing processes, such as milling or eroding, in which material is removed, the principle of additive manufacturing - as the name already suggests - consists of the layer-by-layer addition of material. This process is therefore particularly well suited for complex geometries, and also for customised components that do not conform to standard dimensions. Although individualised measurements are possible in principle with conventional processes, they are associated with high prices. In 3D printing, these parts or alterations can be implemented without any problems. Here a milled fixture would have cost at least €100, the individual component made of iglidur I3 costs €85. The igus online CAD configurator is ideal for configuring individual components. Here, prefabricated CAD models can be configured free of charge according to requirements and, after just a few clicks, it is possible to check whether the component can be implemented in the 3D printing service.

With more than ten different materials and for various additive manufacturing processes, igus® offers a large selection for all possible applications. This can be an advantage, especially in the test phase: The fast and cost-effective production of prototypes helps in deciding which material is best suited for the application. This is because each material has different advantages for different customer applications. In this case, two components of different lengths were manufactured: The long insert was created using the filament extrusion process (FDM) from iglidur® i190 because it could be produced more quickly on the FDM printer. The short stop-dog was manufactured in the SLS system from iglidur® i3, as it was easier to plan there. All iglidur® materials are tribologically optimised materials - so-called high-performance polymers. They are enriched with solid lubricants and therefore require no external lubrication. The iglidur® i190 printing filament has a high wear resistance and excellent mechanical specifications (strength, toughness, layer adhesion). It can be processed on commercially available 3D printers and the abrasion resistance is up to 50 times better than ABS. iglidur® i3 is SLS powder and, like iglidur® i190, has a high wear resistance and maximum strength. iglidur® i3 is particularly suitable for applications where a high level of detail is required, e.g. for all types of gears.

Since the end of 2019, there has been a material partnership between the leading and globally renowned manufacturer of 3D printers in the prosumer sector Ultimaker and igus GmbH. Specifically, this means that in the Marketplace of the slicing software "Cura", which was specially developed for Ultimaker 3D printers, optimised profiles for the tribofilaments are available from igus (including the new iglidur i190 filament). The big advantage is that the material properties for printing are directly taken into account by the product range, thus eliminating the need for an initial test phase for the interaction of 3D printer and filament. Material, but also time and costs can thus be saved with every printing process. This means that Ultimaker customers can print out small and large wear parts themselves and benefit from this unique cooperation.