COMPONENTS ARE ENDURANCE TESTED AROUND THE WORLD
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To celebrate 30 years of an engineering materials and the 50th birthday of the company, igus retrofitted a car's conventional bearings with iglidur plain bearings and circumnavigated the globe, thus demonstrating the durable and robust nature of the material in some harsh environments, from dirt tracks to wet and humid locations.
In total, 56 bearing points were replaced with iglidur components – in applications such as the windscreen wipers, brake pedal, seat adjusters and throttle valves – which none have failed or been replaced.
"50% of igus bearings produced are now used in cars. The iglidur car is a great testament to how igus parts are already being used in different bearing points throughout a vehicle," claimed managing director Matthew Aldridge. "With 40 standard materials, ranging from iglidur X for corrosive environments to iglidur J260 for plastic shafts, we offer the world's broadest range of friction-optimised polymer plain bearings."
The self-lubricating bearings provide a more efficient solution for car designers looking for dirt and chemical resistant bearings that operate more quietly than their metallic counterparts. Car seat applications are a good example where there has been a migration from metal on metal to metal on plastic to fully plastic; the noise damping and quiet running properties of the bearings, which take a high static load, are beneficial to the driver's comfort. In addition, they are up to seven times lighter than metal counterparts, thus reducing the overall weight of the car and helping save fuel.
During its travels, the modified car was driven through India, China, Taiwan, Japan, Brazil, Canada and the USA visiting customers, as well as doing a bit of sightseeing. Finally, the car drove the length of the UK seeing Edinburgh Castle, The Angel of the North and Buckingham Palace.
"Importantly, for every kilometre travelled, igus is donating 1€ to charities in communities where the iglidur car passes through," continued Aldridge. "[For the UK] we have chosen the Gosset Ward at Northampton General Hospital; an intensive care unit for new-born children which is close to our UK headquarters."
