Prosthetics and orthotics plain bearings

Prosthetics and orthotics braces are intended to make life easier and increase personal mobility; the requirements they have to meet are correspondingly high. The material must withstand the considerable loads placed on it and not be so heavy that it makes the wearer tired. It must be capable of being used everywhere: during swimming in salt or chlorine water, in sand, at high and low temperatures. It must be ensured that creams and medical products cannot impair the functionality of the material or place undue stress on it. Bearings made of polymers from igus® are made for precisely such applications and are ideal for constructions with demanding requirements.
Advantages of iglidur® plain bearings:

No stick-slip effect
Shock-absorbing
Low coefficient of friction
Quiet operation
Resistant to impacts and edge loads
Media-resistant
Resistant to dirt
Lubrication-free

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Products often used with prosthetics and orthotics

iglidur® W300

For a long service life during continuous operation
Low coefficient of friction
Extremely high abrasion resistance
Suitable for rugged and stainless steel shafts
Dirt-resistant
Large range of sizes available

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iglidur® plastic rod

A large range of iglidur® materials available as plastic rod, tubes and plates
Currently 25 iglidur® materials to choose from
Cut to required size
No cutting costs
Machining with no minimum order quantity

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Various special bearings customised by igus to your specific requirements

Custom machining

No minimum order quantity
Rapid production
Suitable for prototypes as well as small and high volume production
Large selection of high-performance materials
Support for your design requirements

Eco bearings

Temperature resistant
Robust
Low-cost
Great wear properties
A range of materials available.

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iglidur® E plastic rod

Wear resistant
Endurance runner
Low coefficients of friction
Available in different diameters
Vibration dampening

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Use the online tool!

Find out the delivery time,
price,
service life
and much more by using one of the many online tools available free of charge

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Application examples of our customers

95% less wear in hip prosthetic

iglidur® Z bearings ensure maintenance-free, extremely durable bearing points with excellent dampening on the main axes of this hip prosthetic. The resulting forces occurring in the prosthesis during oscillating movement are reliably transmitted by the bearings without any noticeable increase in play. Tests in the igus® test laboratory have shown: iglidur® material used for this purpose exhibits 95% less wear than PA66 and PTFE.

Delicate movements with electric hand prosthesis

High requirements placed on plain bearings in finger and hand prostheses. They must have a low coefficient of friction, require no additional lubrication, be usable for soft shafts and be vibration-dampening and resistant to chemicals. At the same time, they should enable a functional and aesthetic design. All axes involved in the movement were therefore equipped with iglidur® J bearings.

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Fast assembly and long service life

This joint prosthesis has been equipped with iglidur® J piston rings, which can be clipped to the piston due to their opening and flexible material. This makes the installation very easy and decreases assembly time. Previously, PTFE guide bands were used on the pistons, but they wear a lot faster and therefore have to be replaced more frequently.

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Smooth movements with high stability

Due to their dampening properties, iglidur® bearings guarantee comfort during impacts. In the Blatchford leg prosthesis, metal bearings with Teflon coating were replaced with iglidur® Z bearings. igus® bearings are capable of handling high edge loads and shear forces. Users of this prosthesis describe the movement as fluid yet stable.