A plain bearing material has been developed by igus that is based on 54% sustainable and natural raw materials. The basic polymer is mainly made of castor oil. According to the company, iglidur N54 is a high-performance tribological plastic material that is both lubricant and maintenance free. In-house test results indicate excellent wear resistance properties with loads up to 2MPa, thus a green alternative for general purpose, low-load applications.
The new bio-bearing fits within the igus concept of developing environmentally-friendly alternatives for applications that currently work with lubricated metallic plain or roller bearings.
iglidur bearings do not require any oil and grease, and are lubricant and maintenance-free, which means no contaminants are released to the environment.
In addition, they have a low weight in comparison to metallic options, leading to lower masses and thus reduced energy consumption. Furthermore, the energy balance for the production of plastics is significantly better than for metals.
