Lubrication-free plastic bearings for ergonomic office chair

Sprawling explicitly allowed: That is the feature of this high-quality office chair from Nowy Styl GmbH, developed by the famous French architect Françoise-Hélène Jourda. A healthy and stable spine is fostered by the constant change between hollow and rounded backs. Four patents ensure the extraordinary seating comfort. Lubrication-free and maintenance-free iglidur polymer plain bearings from igus also ensure the absolutely essential smooth operation in the various settings.
 
"Research results have shown that leaning against the backrest in slight kyphosis relieves the spinal column most effectively," reports Corinna Graf, Marketing Manager at Nowy Styl GmbH in Ebermannsdorf. "Independent studies have further shown that, as a rule, very few users utilise all available seating functions despite appropriate briefing on their office chairs. " These findings have been incorporated in the development of the Galileo executive chair, whose settings are largely automatic. The internationally renowned French architect and designer Françoise-Hélène Jourda gave it its distinctive look.

Problem

The office chair should not make any noise during adjustment and use. In addition, lubricants should be avoided to prevent contamination and maintenance costs. The metallic bearings and needle roller bearings previously used in this chair were also custom-made and very expensive to produce.

Solution

With the standard materials iglidur G and J a large variety of plain bearings is available.  Special requests can be implemented easily and flexibly. At the same time, both materials offer a wear-resistant solution for the office chair that requires no additional lubricants. Maintenance of the bearing points is therefore not necessary.   

Four times patented chair

The office and contract chair manufacturer has decided to use iglidur plastic bearings from igus GmbH instead of metal or needle roller bearings. They are lubrication-free and therefore maintenance-free as well as extremely versatile and are available either from the catalogue range or as a tailor-made special solution with no minimum order quantity. They are basically optimised in terms of coefficients of friction and wear. In addition to the very good price/performance ratio, the high degree of quietness speaks for its use in this high-quality office chair. Plain bearings made of the materials iglidur J and iglidur G prove their versatility for the various pivoting movements and iglidur J liner from the drylin R range do the same for linear movements.
 
Four patents have been incorporated into the inner workings of Galileo, which, together with the further development of the proven and patented "Glide-Tec" mechanism, redefine ergonomic sitting. The central element is the "Glide-Tec+" mechanism - a movable seat surface which, in combination with a patented three-dimensional movable backrest, enables optimum mobility when sitting. Added to this are the support of the ergonomically desirable change between hollow and round back by the patent for supported lordosis-kyphosis movement as well as patents for a simplified seat depth adjustment and automatic weight adjustment.

JUM liners for seat depth adjustment. Works noiselessly and smoothly.

Lubrication-free plain bearings for the kinematics

With the patented "Glide-Tec+" motion kinematics, the high-performance plastic plain bearings show their strength. The lordosis-kyphosis adaptation, a kind of artificial spine, is the special highlight of the chair. Movable plastic elements rest on two curved metal rods that rotate when the user leans back. This bends the support elements in such a way that the shape of the backrest precisely matches the respective seating position. It is one of the most flexible backrests in the world.
 
The rotary motion is implemented by flanged bearings made of the versatile material iglidur J. In this application, it features a hard-chromed shaft for maximum wear resistance and noise-free operation. Due to the necessary tolerance compensation and in order to reliably support ease of movement, compensate for any play and achieve the required low noise level, the plain bearings are pre-loaded. "For a chair in this price segment, squeaking, creaking or juddering should never actually occur," confirms the head of design, Franz Eckert.
 
The plain bearings in the office chair are designed for a weight of up to 200 kilograms. If the user sits down, the weight is measured automatically. When this high pressure load occurs, the material iglidur G demonstrates its strength. It is an economical universal bearing with flange, which is available from stock in over 650 dimensions. The main design advantage in this application is that it can permanently withstand the high static loads without being damaged.

iglidur G bearings permanently withstand the high pressure load during automatic adjustment and sitting.