Plastic custom parts and drawing parts

Manufacturing custom parts from a drawing can be achieved in various manufacturing options. igus® is renowned for injection moulding parts however if the quantity is low, this might not be the most cost-effective method. This page is to help you identify which option is the best option, technically and economically.
We can also offer advice on the best materials for you applications from out large range of tribo-polymers.

Would you like more information about the different methods of macnufacturing? Our experts will be happy to get in touch with you.

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Manufacturing options for custom parts

CNC Machining

Machining custom parts from stock material.
Large range of iglidur® stock materials
Plate and rod form available.
Hollow tubes available as standard
Various machining options.

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3D printing

Configurator for low-volume production and prototypes

No minimum order quantity
Parts can be printed up to 3M
A large range of SLS powders and 3D printing filaments available.
FDA filaments available as standard

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Print 2 Mould

Fast manufacturing of injection-moulded parts with 3D printed tool
Ideal for processing parts with special properties
Printed moulds are up to 80% cheaper than steel fabricated moulds

Injection moulding

High-volume production
The largest range of iglidur® materials available
Service life can be calculated for bearing parts.

Find the right material

Large range of high-performace polymers
High-temperature, chemical resistant and FDA approved options.

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Online tools

Need help deciding which manufacturing method is right for you?
Have a look at the online tools for some guidance

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Components from igus have these advantages

Self-lubricating and maintenance-free iglidur drawing part

Lubrication and maintenance-free

Our iglidur materials make additional lubricants superfluous. They contain solid lubricants that supply the bearing point with sufficient lubricant.

Chemical- and media-resistant iglidur drawing part

Large selection of materials

A variety of iglidur materials with different specifications are available for the production of your special and drawing parts, which are e.g. suitable for contact with chemicals and media.

Tribologically optimised

Our engineering plastics have low coefficients of friction and low wear rates, making them much more efficient than conventional plastics. This is tested in our test laboratory.

Production of prototypes & small batches

Rapid prototyping ensures quickly available models, accelerates your product development, visualises new concepts and reveals possible design errors so that they can be rectified in good time. At igus, there are various manufacturing processes available to you for prototype construction, and our experts will be happy to advise you on these. This enables us to manufacture your desired component with no minimum order quantity cost-effectively.

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Production of high volume

From toolmaking to production, we manufacture high volume entirely in-house. Together with you, we coordinate the production drawing and advise you on the selection of the right iglidur material. This enables quick tool repairs and maintenance if required and ensures that you can always be supplied. With our in-house tool shop, a large fleet of injection moulding machines and more than five decades of injection moulding experience, we are a strong partner for your high-volume production.

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igus employee monitors the production of an injection mould

In-house toolmaking at igus®

We manufacture injection moulding tools for your plastic injection moulded parts directly on site in our own tool shop. From tool development to quality control with the aid of computer tomography, and every step takes place at our company. This enables us to respond to your individual wishes and realise them quickly.
With 100 employees and 32 processing machines, around 1,000 injection moulded components are produced here every year.

Find out more about our toolmaking

Always the most cost-effective manufacturing process for your components

3D printing

Your special part is printed from our iglidur materials using selective laser sintering (SLS), filament deposition moulding (FDM/FFF) or digital light processing (DLP). Ideal for prototyping.

Mechanical processing

With the help of CNC machining, your drawing part is milled or turned from bar stock.Alternatively, a catalogue part can be reworked to your desired dimensions.

Injection moulding

We manufacture injection moulds for your drawing parts and cast your desired quantity from our durable, maintenance-free iglidur materials.

Frequently asked questions

How to get custom plastic parts?

With igus® it is easy to get custom plastic parts. You can either send us a drawing of the part, the quantity and application and we can decide which manufacturing method would be best suited for you or you can use one of the free tools we offer to decide for yourself which is the best method. Either way, it is quick and easy.

Can igus® help with design solutions?

Absolutely, in fact the earlier we are involved the better as we may be able to offer machining and material advice at the beginning of the design stage.

How many pieces do I have to order/what is the minimum quantity?

There is no minimum order quantity. You can order 1 part of 10,000. The main thing to consider is the set up is divided by the number of parts so the more you order the cheaper the parts become.

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Special and drawing parts from igus are successfully in use here

CLAAS combine harvester with iglidur plain bearings

Customised injection-moulded plain bearings for CLAAS in 7 days

In a project for CLAAS combine harvesters, a search was made for suitable plain bearings for a new bearing point. The sophisticated design of the assembly required a special shape that could only be achieved with an injection-moulded plastic part. It took only seven days for CLAAS to submit the first special component for testing after the order had been approved. In this way, the development time of the assembly could be significantly accelerated and the maintenance effort reduced even further.

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KHS InnoPET Blomax with individual iglidur sliding elements

KHS stretch blow moulding machine with customised sliding elements

KHS required parts according to drawings that were specially adapted for use in the InnoPET Blomax transport mandrels. In addition, the sliding elements must be suitable for contact with food and should not require lubrication. In the case of KHS, the joint decision was made to machine the sliding elements from bar stock. "So far, no wear has been detected on the igus components", reports Frank Lewin, R+D Designer at KHS.

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Rockinger trailer coupling with iglidur wear insert

Rockinger trailer coupling with customised wear insert

Trailer couplings actually need to be lubricated every time they are used. This leads to high costs and time expenditure. It is also important to ensure that the correct amount of grease is applied to the coupling, otherwise it may be damaged or grease may be released into the environment. Together with igus, Rockinger developed a wear insert that makes the Rockinger KS80 coupling maintenance-free and self-lubricating.

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Thyssenkrupp elevator with customised plain bearings

Thyssenkrupp uses 3D-printed plain bearings in ropeless elevator

Due to the short-term requirement, ThyssenKrupp Elevator decided to have the required linear bearing manufactured by igus using additive manufacturing. A material was needed that could meet the high requirements regarding the reliability and guiding characteristics of the linear drive. The special sliders made of iglidur i3 via laser sintering were quickly printed and shipped. They impress with their wear resistance.

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Throttle ring with iglidur special plain bearings

Steering wheel throttle ring from Kempf with special slider

The special sliders' complex structures and undercuts can be efficiently produced only with additive manufacturing. With the slide-optimised plastic iglidur i3, Kempf found the ideal material for printing the delicate elements. The special sliders, which are manufactured within 24 hours using the laser sintering process, run without lubrication or maintenance. Despite the high quantity of more than 10,000 pieces per order, high-volume production of the special gliders using 3D printing proved to be even more cost-effective than injection moulding due to the high level of complexity.

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Replacement plain bearing made of iglidur material

Spare part manufactured quickly using 3D printing

A defective plain bearing in the WAREMA Sonnenschutztechnik GmbH moving rack had to be replaced. Due to the breakdown of the machine, production could only be supplied with a limited amount of materials. However, the expansion turned out to be very complicated. In order to simplify the installation situation, the bearing was redesigned. Initially, WAREMA had igus print 3D prototypes to test the new design. The iglidur material is convincing in use. So WAREMA had the spare parts milled at igus with the help of the CNC service.

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