The long-term cost benefits of drylin® systems over traditional ball-bearing systems

Vishaka Upreti | 7 May 2021

There are a lot of discussions about which is better, linear plain bearing or ball bearing systems but it really depends on the application. What is clear, is that there are numerous instances where ball bearing systems can be changed for igus® drylin® linear systems and with this change, there will be a cost-saving.

The principle of the igus drylin range is “sliding instead of rolling”. The range of corrosion and lubrication-free components are combined with tribo-optimised, high-performance iglidur® polymers to create the sliding element.

As with all igus® products, the drylin linear guides are suitable for use in a wide variety of environments and thanks to their dry-running operation and maintenance-free formula, the guides are insensitive to influences such as dirt, water, chemicals, heat, or impact. Another key feature of these linear guides is they are almost silent. This is due to the intricate balance of materials used in their design. These modular systems allow for high flexibility with different rail guides, pillow blocks, and accessories.

What are the main differences between drylin® systems and ball-bearing systems?

One of the main differences between the two system variants is the costs that could be saved. Switching to linear bearings from ball bearings can reduce costs by approx 40-80%! This cost saving is achieved in a few ways:

• Easy replacement reduces long-term maintenance costs

When it comes to replacing the ball bearings once they are worn, you have to replace the whole bearing. With the igus bearings, you can simply replace the liner. This is extremely beneficial in industries such as Food and Packaging, replacing a liner means a lot less or no downtime therefore reducing in long term costs.

When traditional ball bearings start to fail, they stop rotating, the balls dig into the shaft and score it, often leading to catastrophic failure. This means you have to not only replace the bearings but also the shaft. With the igus drylin systems, this is not the case. Even if the liner wears, it will not cause any damage to the shaft, also avoiding sudden stoppage of machinery.

• Split housing designs minimize downtime

Some of the igus bearings have been uniquely designed to help aid replacing liners to avoid downtime. Bearings such as the WJUMA and TJUM-01-20 are split housings so it means you can change the liners without having to disassemble the whole system to replace worn bearings. This saves hours of engineering work and reduce downtime.

• Cost savings with Lubrication free bearings and Maintenance free bearings

Being lubrication-free means less labour time. No oil means no cost purchasing the oil and no time spent lubricating the bearings.

Environmental practicalities are also a huge focus and with drylin plain linear bearings, the lack of requirement for lubrication means that they not only have zero impact on the ecology of the surrounding environment, but they also require a lot less energy to produce than their metal rolling element counterparts.

How plain bearings outperform traditional ball-bearing systems

With drylin linear systems, there is limitless acceleration due to no moving parts. The same cannot be said for the ball bearing systems. These can skid if you get them to accelerate too fast and as mentioned previously, can score the shaft. Also, short movements are not good for the ball bearing systems as the ball bearings don’t circulate fully and the oil therefore doesn’t lubricate properly leading to failures.

The drylin range combines advanced tribo-polymers with innovative engineering to deliver reliable performance in demanding industrial environments. These polymer plain bearings are designed to operate efficiently without external lubrication, making them ideal for applications where cleanliness and maintenance are critical.

Why industries are switching to Iglidur polymer plain bearings

As one of the leading plain bearing manufacturers, igus® develops high-performance solutions that cater to industries seeking durable and cost-effective alternatives to conventional systems. The drylin range incorporates Iglidur polymer plain bearings, offering excellent wear resistance and reliability across a wide variety of applications.

The versatility of these systems makes them suitable replacements for conventional rolling-element solutions, including applications that traditionally relied on a bush bearing design.

Conclusion

If you are looking at reducing cost, reducing downtime, and reducing environmental impact whilst increasing productivity, replacing the ball bearing systems with a drylin linear plain bearing system is the correct path for your application.

By integrating advanced plain bearings, tribo-polymers, polymer plain bearings, Lubrication free bearings, and Maintenance free bearings, drylin® systems provide a long-lasting and efficient alternative to conventional bearing technologies.