Lubrication-free bearings in dust and moisture in foot pedals for agricultural machinery
For more than 10 years, the Senata company has relied on our polymer bearings in driver's cabins.
Construction and agricultural machines are constantly in use under difficult environmental conditions. Always out in the open, they have to cope with changing temperatures and constant dust and dirt pollution. Especially for the moving machine components it is a great challenge to be in operation for many years without failure in order to fully meet the manufacturers' requirements. For example, iglidur plastic plain bearings from the motion plastics specialist igus, whose products have been used in the foot pedals of the company Sensata for many years.Profile
- What was needed: iglidur J plain bearings
- Requirements: Difficult environmental conditions in driver's cabs characterised by dust, humidity, temperature fluctuations, aggressive cleaning agents as well as loads from diesel or fertilisers; many years of reliability and durability
- Industry: Agricultural and construction machinery
- Success for the customer: iglidur plain bearings do not need to be lubricated and guarantee optimum coefficients of friction and wear over the entire service life; by dispensing with lubricants, no dirt and grime can stick to the bearing points; low wall thickness takes up little installation space in the application; significantly lower price
Problem
The environmental conditions in the driver's cabs in agricultural and construction machinery are difficult: dust, humidity, temperature fluctuations, aggressive cleaning agents and exposure to diesel or fertilizer. This is where the products of Sensata Technologies GmbH are used. With 22,000 employees, Sensata is one of the leading manufacturers of sensors and man-machine interface products such as Motorcycle handles, joysticks, operating units for construction and agricultural machinery, cranes and lifting platforms or even foot pedals Foot pedals in particular must be able to withstand extreme stress from foreign matter and moisture. In places, the pedals can even be several centimetres deep in the gravel.Despite these conditions, it is of course essential for the used components to ensure reliable operation to users. Above all, moving parts such as foot pedals must always be easy to operate.
The customers of Sensata Technologies GmbH, manufacturers of agricultural and construction machinery, always demand many years of reliability and durability. The complete unit must last a long time, which Sensata also promises its customers.
Solution
Plain bearings made of the material iglidur J have been used in the company's foot pedals for over ten years. This is considered to be a cost-effective but at the same time very versatile endurance runner, which is very wear-resistant on various shafts. This is a great advantage, as the counter partner here is a plastic shaft, which is rather unusual. Normally the heat development can be a challenge with this pairing. However, this can be neglected in this application due to the low rotational speed.Unlike metal bearings, the plastic bearings from igus do not have to be lubricated with oils or greases. Due to microscopic abrasion, the solid lubricants homogeneously distributed within the bearing are released and deposited on the counter partner, whereby a lubricating effect is achieved. This ensures optimum coefficients of friction and wear over the entire service life. By dispensing with conventional lubricants, no dirt and grime can stick to the bearing points either. In addition to the significantly lower price, another decisive advantage was that the plastic plain bearings take up less installation space than sintered bearings due to their thinner walls.
Michael Stoffers, Engineering Manager Mechanic Design, Sensata Technologies GmbH
