The iglide® bearings sample box makes it easy for you to choose the right plastic bearing material for your application.

Each box includes multiple inlays labeled with different requirements, such as food contact, high humidity, underwater use and edge loads. Simply place one or more of the inlays over the bearings and you’ll be left with the materials that are recommended for you.

Ready to get started? Request your iglide bearings sample box or contact igus® to discuss your application with an expert.

The science behind iglide

iglide plastic materials are designed using tribologically-optimized polymer blends. Tribology is an area of study that deals with the design, friction, wear and lubrication of interacting surfaces in relative motion.

Our engineered plastics consist of base polymers for wear resistance, reinforcing fibers for high forces, and solid lubricants that eliminate the need for external oil and grease. These three components are homogeneously blended together to create self-lubricating, maintenance-free bearings.

Thanks to their unique composition, iglide bearings can be used on rougher shafts. That’s because over time, the solid lubricants embed themselves into the shaft’s valleys, creating an optimized sliding surface.

Today, there are more than 50 iglide materials available; however, 17 of them are suitable for use in most applications.

Estimate bearing service life

Every year inside our 41,000 ft² test lab, igus engineers run more than 10,000 tests on our iglide bearing materials to optimize stress, wear and friction properties. We add those test results to the database behind our iglide service life calculator.

The online tool asks for your parameters and then provides you with a list of bearing materials along with the estimated number of hours they’re each expected to last inside your application. From there, you can order or request the parts you want. Try out the iglide service life calculator here.