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Plastics expert igus has introduced the world’s first plastic filament for 3D printers enhanced with tribological, or low friction, properties. The material, 50 times more resistant to wear and abrasion than conventional 3D printer materials, is ideally suited for creating custom bearings.

igus has been researching filaments for 3D printers in order to provide customers with more flexibility in their design ideas. Now, for example, customers can design custom parts or manufacture prototypes, while still being able to rely on the dependable, tested service life of igus plastic materials.

This exciting new product, which has already completed countless tests in the igus test lab, is the first filament for 3D printers specifically developed for motion control applications. Currently, igus carries 45 different high performance plastics as optional materials available for iglide products, with a further 100 custom materials suited to specific, demanding customer needs. Moving forward, the new filament will give customers more flexibility for the design of their application’s bearings, even prototypes can be produced quickly and cost-effectively. igus also offers access to 3D models of igus products in STL format, which can easily be downloaded and used directly as input data for 3D printing.

3D printers as a cutting-edge technology

3D printers are able to print full-size, three-dimensional objects. This up and coming technology will be able to reduce the high tooling costs of part production, and waste is eliminated, as only the desired object is printed, for additional production savings. With the proper computer software, any printed component can be customized to the exact shape and size desired, making otherwise impossible-to-find parts available and affordable. For more information on the tribo-filament, or to learn about igus components in the 3D printing industry, please visit our tribo-filament page: http://www.igus.com/3Dfilament.

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