Maintenance-free heavy-duty and fibre composite plain bearings

Composite bearings are a combination of different materials. Mineral materials are woven with fibres, combined with synthetic resins and other additives and then pressed together under high temperatures and pressure.
With our igutex® plain bearings, a robust fibreglass fabric serves as the outer shell, while an inner layer optimised for sliding properties reduces friction on the shaft.
The combination of these materials results in high-strength composite fibre plain bearings that have been developed for very high loads and primarily used in agricultural, construction and mining machinery. As our igutex® composite bearings contain solid lubricants, they do not require any maintenance or additional lubrication. 

Would you like more information about our TX bearings? Our experts will be happy to get in touch with you.
 

igutex® TX1

• Robust all-round material
• Up to 200 MPa static and 140 MPa dynamic
• Wear resistant and dimensionally stable
• Good media resistance
• Lubricant and maintenance free
• Standard program from stock

data sheet

igutex® TX2

• Perfect for hard shafts
• Particularly low wear in heavy-duty areas
• Up to 3.5 times more wear-resistant than igutex® TX1
• Good coefficient of wear and therefore a long service life

data sheet

igutex® TX3

• For continuous operation at the highest loads
• Lowest wear rates under extreme dry running conditions 
• No lubrication and maintenance 
• Tested in the igus test laboratory up to 130 MPa and 0.01 m/s swiveling 

data sheet

Save time and money

✅ No costs for lubricants
✅ No failures due to insufficient lubrication
✅ Time and money saved on daily maintenance

No loss lubrication

✅ No release of lubricant into the environment
✅ No loss lubrication for wear protection 
✅ No centralised lubrication necessary

Developed for high loads

✅ Extremely robust and wear-resistant
✅ Tested under real operating conditions
✅ Predictable service life thanks to test database

Reliable despite dirt and grime 

The track vehicle from Kässbohrer Geländefahrzeug AG relies on wound igutex® heavy-duty plain bearings in the oscillating and tensioning axles. Even when driving through mud, slush and bog, the igutex® plain bearings are reliable. 

Lubrication costs saved

The Demarko company uses igutex® composite bearings in oscillating axles for semi-trailers. Since the fabric bushings do not have to be lubricated and are part of the igus standard range, Demarko was able to reduce production costs. 

20 tons load and salt water

The A-Frame from Ship & Yacht Engineering Ltd. can lift loads up to 20 tons. Therefore, heavy-duty composite bearings that are suitable for high loads were required. For use on the high seas, they should also be weatherproof.

Free heavy-duty brochure

Find out more about the following topics:

• Discussions with our development experts
• Material overview with heavy-duty plain bearings
• How our plain bearing materials work
• Lubrication – a challenge for industry
• Sustainable product developments
• Test results of various plain bearing types
• practical application examples

Free white paper

Factors for lubrication-free bearings in construction machinery

The topics are covered are:

• Important functions of lubrication in plain bearings
• Reasons for switching to lubrication-free plain bearings
• Differentiation: lubrication-free plain bearings vs. lubricated metallic bearings
• How self-lubricating plain bearings work
• This must be taken into account when changing to dry-running plain bearings

Free heavy-duty sample box

Plain bearing overview

 

Brochure for download