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• What was needed: iglidur J plain bearings, iglidur G plain bearings, RJM/RJMP-series plain bearing bushings, drylin T-series linear plain bearings, drylin SLWE-PL-series lead screw module, drylin W-1660
• Requirements: The high production speed with short, dynamic strokes required durable materials and bearings with good coefficients of wear. Hair and dust in the system meant that a lubrication-free solution was needed.
• Industry: Mechanical engineering
• Success for the customer: Wöhler Brush Tech GmbH purchases various types of iglidur material for linear and plain bearings. The specialist benefits from bearing operation that requires no lubrication or maintenance. The optimised coefficients of friction for bearings with incorporated lubricant allow long service life.

A typical Wöhler machine producing 40 flat brushes per minute.

Machines with high demands on bearing points

If the customer so wishes, Wöhler Brush Tech GmbH production machines also allow high production speeds: With a system that produces 60 flat brushes per minute, Wöhler holds the unofficial world record for brush production performance. Those who see such a machine in operation notice two things: First, brush manufacture requires a number of coordinated movements, many of which are very dynamic with short strokes. During bearing selection for these movements, not only robust, but also durable materials were required. Second, hair and dust from the cut bristles also clog the bearing points. A whole machine work step is devoted to trimming and smoothing the bristles. With lubricant, the bristles tend to adhere. The intensive search for a durable solution free of maintenance and lubrication began.

A hairy situation: drylin plain bearings are insensitive to dust.

Wöhler often uses RJM/RJMP-series linear plain bearing bushings to guide cylinders.

The solution: iglidur plain bearings and drylin linear bearings

The Wöhler designers made a fundamental decision for their machines: Today they use iglidur plain bearings and drylin linear bearings made of high-performance polymers for many different rotary and linear bearing support solutions.
For the bearing series materials, Wöhler uses iglidur J and, even more frequently, the "all-rounder", iglidur G (more about iglidur materials here). The material works well universally with medium to high loads, medium surface speeds, and medium temperatures. Wöhler tends to use iglidur J for linear bearings and iglidur G for rotating and pivoting movements.

Despite the dust, both plain and linear bearings are maintenance-free, and no preventive maintenance is necessary. The reason is the bearing materials, whose operation is completely dry, requiring no addition of external lubricants. If there is no lubrication, the dust from cutting and smoothing the bristles cannot adhere, the bearing points do not clog, and the dust can simply be vacuumed off.

"DIY" from iglidur bar stock: FP 900 B rotary transfer machine grippers.

Bar stock also proves itself in practice.

In addition to iglidur and drylin bearing products, Wöhler Brush Tech GmbH also uses bar stock. On the FP 900 B machine, for example, 40 handles for flat brushes are clamped on a central rotary table. The grippers used here are made of iglidur J bar stock, which Wöhler processes in-house. The grippers are therefore simply constructed and extremely durable: They need neither ball bearings nor cam rollers.

Wöhler also often uses bar stock in the customer service area. For example, Wöhler converted the existing drive systems of a customer's machine with this technique. A toothed belt drive with recirculating ball bearing guides was used in the filament production. Wöhler suggested to its customer that the drive be guided with linear bearings made from iglidur J, milled from bar stock. The result is convincing: In a machine that is already in use, the axes have already covered 8,000km after just 55 days – without any signs of wear.

Linear bearings and linear systems in format adjustment

At many FP 900 B flat brush machine bearing points, Wöhler often uses RJM/RJMP-series linear plain bearing bushings to guide cylinders. To adjust format for several axes, drylin T linear plain bearings have proven effective. In one case – smoothing the brush after glue is applied – relatively high forces and a clearance-free format adjustment is needed. Here, the Wöhler design engineers use a drylin SLWE-PL-series lead screw module to ensure high rigidity for a shaft diameter of 16mm. The drylin W-1660 double rail guide is also used in Wöhler Brush Tech brush machines.

The online shop has also benefited the manufacturer, who was able to draw on a wide range of products for his machines. There, part numbers can be called up individually with prices, all bearing series calculated, and CAD data downloaded. This saves valuable design time.

drylin T linear plain bearings in combination with SLW lead screw modules have proven effective in format adjustment. A good view of the bristles.