xiros® polymer ball bearings

xiros polymer ball bearings to DIN 625 do not need any external lubrication, are corrosion-resistant (if glass or plastic balls are used) and, during operation, are extremely quiet. This makes them a cost-effective alternative to metal ball bearings. Made from a mixture of tribo-polymers, the iglidur material plastic components are light, resistant to chemicals and non-magnetic. This ensures that they can be used safely in the areas of medicine, packaging, food processing, drive technology and other industries.  Whereas the polymer for our xiros ball bearings consists of a mixture of basic plastics, solid lubricants, fibres and filaments, the balls are typically made ofglass, plastic or stainless steel. The balls are housed in a cage, which can consist of our own xirodur B180 material, polyamide (PA), polypropylene (PP) or polyetheretherketone (PEEK). Please see our catalogue to find further combinations of materials and technical specifications.

Ball bearings belong to the family of rolling bearings. Moving between an inner ring and an outer ring, rolling bodies reduce rotational friction and absorb radial and axial loads. In most applications, one ring is rigid and the other is attached to the rotating assembly such as a hub or a shaft made of steel. When a ring rotates, the balls, which are fixed in place inside a cage, also begin to rotate. Because the balls roll, they have a much smaller coefficient of friction than two flat surfaces that slide against each other. Due to the smaller contact surface between balls and rings, the ball bearings tend to have a lower load capacity for their size than other kinds of rolling bearings. However, they can tolerate a certain amount of misalignment of the inner and outer rings.  Plain bearings can absorb heavier loads and are less sensitive to shocks.

"Smooth operation is crucial"

"Decisive for us here is the smooth running of the ball bearings in the guide rollers. In the past, we used metal bearings here. However, this was not light enough, sometimes making the complete roll stop and the label band would slip over it."
 
Sören Meissner | Design Engineer for Labelling Technology at Krones AG

Further customer applications

Whether packaging, textile industry, testing technology and quality assurance or model making: xiros polymer ball bearings are already successfully used in a wide variety of industries; they are especially popular wherever conventional metal ball bearing solutions are not suitable.
 
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igus is one of just a few manufacturers worldwide who produce ball bearing rings in injection moulding. This offers users the following advantages:

• High wear resistance due to the shape under high pressure
• Homogeneous material distribution
• Cost-effective production, leading to cheap sales prices
• Simplification of ball bearing installation

Due to this manufacturing process, different rules apply to the measurement as well as the installation compared to metal or ceramic ball bearings. The outer ring of the polymer ball bearings has a conical shape. This simplifies the installation in a suitable housing (with the narrow side first). After press-fit into a housing machined to a H7 tolerance the bearing clearance is reduced. Therefore, the ball bearings must be measured over the entire width; starting at an angle of 90° from the injection point.