Maintenance-free plastic plain bearings made from iglide T500, one of 12 standard materials from bearings specialist igus, are high-tech problem solvers for temperature-, pressure- and chemical-critical applications. The company is now launching an advanced bearing material using nano particles. The material iglide X6 is up to six times more wear resistant at long term temperatures of 482 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the company's press release.

Polymer plain bearings made from iglide T500 have been around since the mid-1980s. They run dry at a long-term application temperature of -148 degrees Fahrenheit to +482 degrees Fahrenheit (up to +599 degrees Fahrenheit for short periods). Even at a permanent temperature of 482 degrees Fahrenheit, the bearings can still withstand a surface pressure of about 21,750 psi (pounds per square inch). In addition, this material absorbs very little moisture and is resistant to almost all chemicals. This high-temperature material, which has proved its worth in thousands of applications over many years, is available from stock in more than 250 dimensions.

In 25 years of polymer research, the possible applications for lubrication-free polymer plain bearings have been continually expanded. This new material is up to six times more wear-resistant than iglide T500 under the influence of temperature and demonstrates significantly reduced relaxation behavior. For the user, this means the press fit of the bearings is improved by up to 50 percent. In addition, the material has an even greater resistance to chemicals.

Nanotechnology was used to optimize the new X6 material. In this area, surface properties play an increasingly important role compared with the material volume properties. In nanotechnology, the size of the object determines properties. These are ‘size-induced functionalities'. The use of nanoparticles has a decisive influence on the performance of iglide X6 plain bearings, especially under the influence of temperature. The new plastic plain bearings made from iglide X6 are available in 24 dimensions.