Five reasons why you should use iglidur plain bearings in motor vehicles

Constant price pressure is forcing OEMs and suppliers to continuously optimise costs. The use of inexpensive tribopolymers is a common alternative to expensive metal bearings.

There is hardly a vehicle today that does not contain plastic plain bearings as a replacement for metal plain and roller bearings. The range of applications extends from seat systems to thermally demanding applications in the engine compartment, for example in shift forks for gearboxes or in coolant pumps, for example in shift forks, coolant pumps or in the drivetrain.

Why are plastic plain bearings more favourable than metal-rolled plain bearings, for example?

• Lower energy requirement in the manufacturing process
• 1 m³ of steel can be produced from 11,000 litres of crude oil; only 1,000 litres of crude oil are required for 1 m³ of plastic
• Short cycle times in the manufacturing process
• High output quantity per cycle thanks to multiple cavities in the injection moulding process
• Precise production means that no downstream production steps are usually necessary

Legal requirements demand a continuous reduction in vehicle emissions. This is achieved by reducing the weight of the vehicles, among other things. This results in a further advantage: less weight leads to lower fuel consumption.

A modern iglidur® plastic plain bearing is up to 80 % lighter than a conventional metallic plain bearing with the same dimensions. The number of bearing points has risen steadily with the increasing complexity of vehicles. Weight must therefore also be taken into account when selecting the right bearing material.

This is where iglidur® polymer bearings come into their own: They weigh less than metallic bearings of the same dimensions and thus contribute to the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions. In addition, significantly less crude oil and therefore less energy is required for their manufacture, and they are also completely lubrication-free.

The advantages of iglidur® bearings are also decisive for alternative drive concepts. Lightweight and particularly quiet components are required here, which do not generate any disturbing noises during operation and thus increase driving comfort.

One of the technical challenges facing vehicle and component engineers is to identify noisy components and replace them with a quieter solution if necessary. The expectations of OEMs in this area are constantly increasing. This is because alternative drives such as hybrid or electric engines reduce the volume of the drive, making it quieter in the vehicle interior and making BSR noises - otherwise masked by the loud combustion engine - much more perceptible.

How do iglidur® bearings reduce noise?

With our tribologically optimised high-performance polymers, you achieve a particularly low coefficient of friction and thus obtain a quiet-running application. Whether in the seat, hinge or actuator, the variety of applications for our iglidur® bearings in the vehicle interior is large.

Plastic is characterised by the fact that, unlike metal, it has a damping effect. In applications with high vibration loads, plastic bearings help to reduce the noise level. Our iglidur® material programme contains materials with a particularly damping specification.

Whether in convertible tops, steps, spoiler kinematics or vehicle seats: Hinges are often fitted with metal-rolled bearings with a PTFE coating. However, as there are usually coarse mountings and collar pulls at these points, these bearings have to be laboriously recalibrated in order to achieve a low-backlash system. iglidur® bearings, on the other hand, calibrate themselves through the effect of heat in the e-coating process and thus ensure a precisely fitting bearing position.

Thanks to our modern injection moulding process, the desired iglidur® plain bearing can be manufactured in almost any geometry. For example, as a flexible clip bearing, flanged or double flange bushing especially for quick assembly in sheet metal. Customised special solutions made of plastic in the desired shape, quantity and material are also possible.

In addition, we can provide you with your desired special geometry as a sample for your tests within 48 hours.