igus® study: drylin® R on wooden shafts

drylin® Interview with product developer Lars Fenger

What was the decisive factor for the "drylin® R on wooden shafts" study?
Due to the lower surface pressure of our drylin® linear plain bearings, they are generally also suitable for use on round shafts with softer surfaces. Quite the opposite of ball bearings, which require a hardened surface. Aluminium shafts and tubes are already in our product portfolio, as are extremely lightweight carbon shafts. And with our study, we are gathering results with wood, a renewable raw material.

What tests were carried out?
 Bending strength tests were carried out in the igus® laboratory in order to make an initial selection from the wide variety of wood available. And the coefficient of friction and wear results were determined with suitable wood types.

What were the results?
 In short... wood and drylin® linear technology works. And even very well. The results showed that the coefficients of friction determined differed only slightly from the results on steel or aluminium. And the wear results for bearings and shafts are also very promising. Especially in combination with our new drylin® R-econ linear plain bearing J4, some woods such as steamed beech offer a good mating partner with good results.

What is particularly important?
The tests were carried out in a dry laboratory environment; in contrast to stainless steel, for example, dirt and moisture can significantly change the measurement results. We are constantly expanding our test series for wood, and local availability also plays a key role. At the trade show, we want to gather initial customer experience on this topic and support customer projects with drylin® and wood. The first customer applications with plain bearings on wooden shafts already exist.