issue 1/2008
The igus® Newsletter on the automotive industry
Editorial
Materials
automotive @
Markus Feth Key-Account-Manager Automotive
Lighter engineering with igubal® igubal® coupling rods made of the polymer compound igumid® G support the trend towards lightweight engineering. The new single-part products can
Imprint
Particularly with eco-friendly lightweight engineering it is important to find the best design solution and select the most suitable machine element. I look forward to supporting you in finding a solution. Give me a call: +49 22 03/ 96 49-251.
CF53 1 MPa CF53 2 MPa V2A 1 MPa V2A 2 MPa
Development work at igus® is an ongoing process. Some current results of this work are presented in this newsletter. Such as micro-bearings, for example, which are extremely light and precise, or plain bearings for seat structures and soft-top linkage. In addition, you will find out more about the ecological balance of the iglidur® plastic plain bearings.
They are more economical than PEEK or PAI materials and more resistant to iglidur® H1 for use in the engine compartment. wear. This last point also applies to 12 plastic shafts filled with fibreglass as counter 10 rotation partners. igli8 dur® H1 plain bearings have a Shore hard6 ness D of 77 and pro4 vide low kinetic friction 2 values. For use as truck brake calliper 0 bearings at 170°C, for PAI PEEK iglidur® H1 CF+PTFE example, they cushion oscilation and are resiiglidur® H1 is more wear-resistant than stant to brake fluids. PEEK and PAI – rotating here on Cf53 and V2A shaft at 1 and 2 MPa. Wear in µm/km
Many of these innovations are of course still at the visionary stage, with engineers having to implement them step by step. Since lightweight engineering plays a decisive role here, plastic components such as iglidur® plain bearings are becoming more and more relevant. The lightweight and lubricant-free products from igus® have been making an active contribution to environmental protection for no less than 40 years already.
More economical than PEEK and PAI
The new iglidur® H1 bearings especially for use in the engine compartment guarantee long service lives under extreme conditions. The long-life machine elements defy high temperatures, humidity and chemicals.
Coupling rods
On January 1, the time had come: „Environment zones“ were introduced in Berlin, Hanover and Cologne with the intention of reducing fine dust pollution. Obligatory stickers for vehicles is the first visible consequence of the discussions on environmental and climate protection – as subjects such as „CO2 emissions“ or „speed limit“ left their mark on last year’s IAA. Accordingly, all Markus Feth re n o w n e d vehicle manufacturers had innovations on show for reducing pollutant emissions.
Publisher: igus® GmbH Spicher Str. 1a D-51147 Köln Tel.: +49-(0) 22 03-96 49-251 Fax: +49-(0) 22 03-96 98-251 automotive@igus.de Editorial work: Markus Feth Layout: Tina Waber, textina Print: Warlich Druck Meckenheim GmbH automotive@igus.de is an advertising medium.
Continued on page 2… 1
01/2008
Continued … replace multi-part metal-plastic versions. This allows costs to be reduced by up to 90 percent! In addition, they are completely corrosion-free and do not require any lubricants or maintenance. They can cope with temperatures of up to 200°C e.g. for shifting connection in the gears or as coupling rods. igus® supplies various special design shapes up to a gauge of 250 mm.
Environment
automotive @
Lubricant-free igubal® coupling rods
Polymer bearings: Superior ecological balance All iglidur® polymer plain bearings do without oil and grease. Thanks go ongoing development work, igus® can offer an ecological alternative to lubricated metallic plain and roller bearings for more and more applications. iglidur® bearings stand for active environmental protection. No less than half of all machine lubricants currently used in Germany seeps into soil
16
which are still extremely precise and particularly cost-effective. The new technology also ensures a great reduction in gates and cycle times.
Camera-supported test system
Injection moulding machine for tiny components (top) Customer-specific special parts made of iglidur® materials
01/2008
2
Safety-related components, e.g. for vehicle braking systems, are subject to high demands. To be able to guarantee 100% fail-safeness, igus® subjects these to an automated optical test. A camera-supported system ensures particle freedom and cleanness, for example, which is relevant for bearings in double clutch gears. After testing, the parts are packed directly in PE bags which provide reliable protection from soiling.
12 10 Oil in l
As an international developer of polymers and injection moulding company with decades of experience, igus® supplies numerous special parts in addition to its extensive standard range. These can include anti-torsion lugs, knurls, captive clips bearings or solutions for compensating tolerances. A modular tool system allows initial samples to be made quickly and at low cost. A recent development is the manufacturing of parts on micro-systems. In the igus® factory, tiny components only measuring a couple of millimetres can be manufactured,
Automated optical test
8 6 4 2 0 Aluminium
Steel
Plastic
The energy required to produce one volume litre of material (converted to litres of oil).
Processing
Special parts made-to-measure
inside igus®
Micro-technology
14
and waters or evaporates into the atmosphere. Estimates for Germany alone assume 250,000 tonnes per year. The energy balance for the manufacture of plastics is positive, too. Whereas the energy from 15 litres of oil is necessary iglidur® polymer to produce 1 litre of plain bearings aluminium, and 1 litre of need neither oil steel requires 11 litres of nor grease oil, the production of 1 litre of plastic only needs an average of 1.8 litres of oil. As far as annual worldwide oil requirements are concerned, the production of plastics only requires 4 percent. This value will probably be reduced further, since the vegetable production of polymers is making great progress.
Reducing manufacturing costs „Process integration“ is the keyword for describing the low-cost assembly of economical iglidur® plain bearings. iglidur® plain bearings are easy to assemble with the aid of downstream progression and transfer tools.
The manual working steps saved allow savings in production costs. This is particularly important wherever large annual quantities are involved, such as with seat systems or hinges for vehicle bonnets and boots. Fast, low-cost assembly of plain bearings in punched metal bore holes, e.g. in seat and folding top systems. 3
01/2008
Competition
Hydrolysis-resistant iglidur® P plain bearings (top), assembly carrier
iglidur® P in assembly carriers Greater quality requirement and complex components require optimized manufacturing equipment. Möve-Metall GmbH develops pivoting, rotatable and slidable carriers for mounting vehicle middle consoles. The carriers have to be particularly light for ergonomic reasons, and be compatible with the existing assembly line. The iglidur® P plain bearings prove the best solution. Michael Zimmermann, design engineer at Möve-Metall: „igus® products are much lighter than steel bearings and do not need lubrication. So we save servicing times and costs!“
Products
Practical experience
automotive @ Conductive polymer bearings
iglidur® RN89 plain bearings are conductive and a cost-saving alternative to bushings made of metallic materials and PTFE-coated bearings. They are used for multi-link hinges in seat structures or in soft-top linkage. The bearings can be mounted with an overlap, thus slightly clamping to the rivet, before cathodic dip coating. This achieves a large contact area between bearing and bolt, guaranteeing coating of the complete component and helping to compensate component tolerances.
Conductive iglidur® RN89 plain bearings make cathodic dip coating possible
We will get you fit for „environmental protection when driving“ and are giving you the chance to win driver safety training at the Nürburgring. Just answer the following questions correctly and send your answers by e-mail to automotive@igus.de. Closing date for entries is 1st May 2008. Don’t forget to include your sender details!
Question 1: iglidur® plastic plain bearings are eco-friendly … a) ... because they make lightweight engineering possible and do not need lubrication. b) ... because they have such healthy-sounding product names. Question 2: iglidur® RN89 plain bearings are conductive … a) ... because they are made of metal. b) ... because conductive filling materials are added.
! k c u l d o o G
01/2008
4