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By 2034, the agricultural sector alone could save 30 million euros in lubricant and labour costs if 500 cultivators per year in Germany are equipped with dry-running plain bearings. What sounds like a fantastic advertising figure at first glance can be seriously extrapolated on the basis of a study by RWTH Aachen University.
spent on lubricant and personnel
for 600 bearing positions 1
spent on lubricant and personnel
per trailer coupling 1
spent on lubricant and personnel
per cultivator 1
Thousands of customers have able to increase both the efficiency of their machines and their sustainability by switching to lubrication-free igus products:
An independent study quantifies the ecological and economic benefits of self-lubricating plastic bearings for the first time. It was carried out by the Werkzeugbau Akademie, a research company that works on the RWTH Aachen Campus as part of one of Europe's largest research laboratories in the field of production technology, together with the Fraunhofer Institute, among others. In the context of the study, expert interviews were conducted with nine companies from the automation technology, construction machinery, agricultural, food, packaging and bottling industries. The participants include CNH Industrial, Heineken and Krones AG, among others.
Lubrication-free plain bearings eliminate the risk of contamination, reduce maintenance work and costs while increasing durability. This increases the service life of the bearings and machines.
Self-lubricating plain bearings are made of materials that contain solid lubricants, which are released during operation. Thus, no external lubrication is required.
Plain bearings without lubrication are ideal for environments where lubricants are problematic or where cleanliness is of great importance. Examples are the food and pharmaceutical industries, cleanrooms or surroundings with high dust loads. They are also advantageous in environments that are difficult to access as maintenance work is reduced.
Eliminating lubricants reduces the environmental impact and energy consumption during manufacture, use and disposal. Lubrication-free plastic plain bearings have a lower CO2-footprint and contribute to more sustainable production.
Plastic bearings can be recycled at the end of their service life, which helps reduce waste and promote a circular economy. This supports the sustainability goals of many companies.
1Annual cost savings due to the use of plastic plain bearings per machine/system