Comparison of 3D printed linear bearings

Less wear than ABS by a factor of 33

3D printed gears in testing

Up to 80% more abrasion-resistant than ordinary plastics

3D printed bushing in short linear stroke testing

More than 300 times the service life of ABS

Printed drive thread nuts tested

Up to 18 times the durability of ABS

3D printed plain bearings in the pivot test

Up to 50 times the abrasion resistance of PA12

Coefficient of friction and service life test for rotating bearings

Long service life for iglidur I3, complete failure for ABS

Test parameters:

• Surface pressure: 0.11MPa
• Surface speed: 0.34m/s
• Stroke: 370mm
• Shaft materials: alu hc
• Duration: 3 weeks

     Y = wear rate [μm/km]
 
     1. ABS (FDM)
     2. iglidur I180 (FDM)
     3. iglidur I3 (SLS)
     4. iglidur J (injection moulded)

Test result:
the long-stroke test shows lower coefficient of wear by factor 15 for iglidur I180 (FDM) and even by factor 33 for iglidur I3 (SLS). Due to the very good tribological properties, the wear-resistant iglidur materials are ideal for long-stroke applications, such as X-Y gantries for pick-and-place applications or plain bearings and glide bars in the 3D printer.

Test parameters:

• Surface pressure: 1MPa
• Surface speed: 0.3 m/s
• Stroke: 5mm
• Shaft materials: CF53 (left bar) and 304 SS (right bar)
• Duration: 1 week

Y = wear rate [μm/km]
 
1. ABS (FDM)
2. iglidur® J260 (FDM)
3. iglidur® J260 (injection moulding)

Test result:
plain bearings made of iglidur J260, a wear-resistant polymer, have similarly good wear rates, regardless of whether they are 3D printed or injection moulded. iglidur J260 injection-moulded plain bearings and bearings printed in 3D were tested with the same load and surface speed. 
This test also shows that, thanks to tribological properties, our iglidur 3D printing materials exhibit a coefficient of friction and abrasive wear that is much lower than those in standard ABS materials.
Determine the service life of 3D printed plain bearings in your application: just enter the necessary parameters into the free plain bearing service life calculator, and the service life is calculated:

• Surface pressure: 1MPa
• Surface speed: 0.1 m/s

1. iglidur I3 (SLS 3D printing)
2. iglidur I150 (FDM 3D printing)
3. iglidur I190 (FDM 3D printing)
4. PA12 (SLS 3D printing)
5. ABS (FDM 3D printing)
6. PA66 (injection moulding)
7. POM (lathed)
8. PA66 (lathed)

Test parameters:

• Surface pressure: 20 MPa
• Surface speed: 0.01m/s
• Pivoting angle: 60°
• Shaft materials: 304 SS
• Duration: 4 weeks

Y = wear rate [µm/km] 

Test result:

During the swivel test, the tribological properties of the iglidur filaments led to  abrasion resistance  that was up to 50 times that of the standard 3D printing materials (such as ABS). Wear-resistant polymer ensures a much longer service life of plain bearings and other components.
How long will a printed iglidur bearing last in your application? Just enter the requirements and determine the service life online with our free plain bearing service life calculator.

• Surface pressure: 2 MPa
• Surface speed: 0.01 m/s
• Pivoting angle 60°

1. iglidur I3 (SLS 3D printing)
2. iglidur I150 (FDM 3D printing)
3. iglidur I190 (FDM 3D printing)
4. PA12 (SLS 3D printing)
5. ABS (FDM 3D printing)
6. PA66 (injection moulding)
7. POM (lathed)
8. PA66 (lathed)

Test parameters:

• Surface pressure: 10, 20 and 45MPa
• Surface speed: 0.01m/s
• Pivoting angle: 60°
• Duration: 1 week

Y = Wear rate [µm/km] 
 
1. iglidur I3 (SLS)
2. iglidur I180 (FDM)
3. iglidur G (injection moulded)
4. iglidur W300 (injection moulded)

Test result:
this heavy-duty test shows that 3D printed plain bearings (produced with the SLS printing method) can withstand loads of up to 45MPa surface pressure. The test showed that the abrasive wear and tribological properties are just as good as those of injection-moulded plain bearings. Plain bearings with a diameter and length of 20mm were tested, i.e. the 3D printed plain bearing was loaded with 1,800kg. The test results show that plain bearings made of wear-resistant iglidur polymers are also suitable for heavy-duty applications.  
 
Determine the exact service life of a 3D printed plain bearing made of iglidur in your application: just enter the necessary parameters into the free plain bearing service life calculator, and the service life is calculated online.  

Test parameters:

• Torque: 129Nm
• Stroke: 370mm
• Speed: 290 [rpm]
• Duration: two weeks

Y = wear rate [mg/km]
 
1. ABS (FDM)
2. iglidur I180 (FDM)
3. iglidur J260 (FDM)
4. iglidur I3 (SLS)
5. iglidur J (injection moulded)

Test result:
in this test, the wear resistance of igus 3D printing materials is higher  by factor 6 to factor 18 compared to conventional materials, depending on 3D printing materials and method.
Printing drive nuts in 3D offers cost advantages especially with low quantities, as the thread can be produced directly in the 3D printer and therefore no expensive tool for cutting the thread is required. The thread only needs to be constructed in the model.
 

Test parameters:

• Surface pressure: 1MPa
• Surface speed: 0.1m/s
• Shaft material: Cf53

Y = Coefficient of friction [-]
X = Duration [h]
 
1. PA12 (SLS)
2. iglidur I3 (SLS)
 

 

Test result:
the tribological properties of iglidur I3 are twice as good in the test as those of the standard 3D printing materials.  This is because iglidur materials contain solid lubricants, which lower the coefficient of friction and significantly increase wear resistance. Wear-resistant polymers and tribological properties are helpful for designing motors and drive forces, since half the friction means that only half the drive force is necessary. You can use our free plain bearing service life calculator – enter your requirements to determine how long a 3D printed bearing made of iglidur will last in your application. 

Test parameter:

• Surface pressure: 20 MPa
• Surface speed: 0.01 m/s
• Shaft material: 304 stainless steel

Y = wear rate [mg/km]
 
1. ABS (FDM)
2. PA12 (SLS)
3. iglidur I180 (FDM)
4. iglidur J260 (FDM)
5. iglidur I3 (SLS)
6. iglidur W300 (injection moulding)
 

Test result:
wear for plain bearings printed from iglidur I180 is  89.5% lower than that for bearings manufactured with the same process from ABS plastic, which is often used in 3D printing. The laser sintered bearing made of iglidur I3 exhibited 94.87% less wear than the laser sintered bearing made of PA12. Only bearings printed from the iglidur J260 special filament and injection moulded from iglidur W300 had better values.  
 
How long will a 3D printed bearing made of iglidur last in your application? Use our online plain bearing service life calculator to precisely determine service life by entering the necessary requirements.  

• Surface pressure: 1 MPa
• Surface speed: 0.3 m/s

1. iglidur I3 (SLS 3D printing)
2. iglidur I190 (FDM 3D printing)
3. PA12 (SLS 3D printing)
4. ABS (FDM 3D printing)
5. PA66 (injection moulding)
6. POM (lathed)
7. PA66 (lathed)

Test parameters:
pivoting 1440°: 64rpm, M = 2.25Nm, z = 30, m = 1, b = 6mm

In this test, a gear drives a rack, and the number of cycles completed before the gear breaks is recorded. Gears 3D printed or laser sintered from iglidur lasted twice as long as gears milled from POM.
 
1. iglidur I3 (printed)
2. iglidur I8-ESD (printed)
3. POM (milled)
4. iglidur I6 (printed)
5. iglidur I190 (printed)
6. PLA (printed)
7. PETG (printed)
8. SLA 

Except for the gear made of POM, the CAD models for all tested gears come from the igus gear configurator.

Wear is an important aspect of parts in moving applications. Wear-resistant polymers such as our iglidur materials are the solution for minimising wear and increasing the parts' service life. Due to the tribological properties, the iglidur materials are perfect for all application areas in which good coefficient of friction and very low wear are important.  
 
The igus test laboratory covers 3,800m². In an extensive series of experiments, igus is researching and developing new 3D printing materials for moving applicationsin the industry's largest test laboratory. All materials are tested regarding their tribological properties in different test series so as to minimise wear and maintenance intervals. They are particularly low-friction and wear-resistant and ensure a lubrication-free and low-maintenance operation. iglidur polymers offer very good tribological properties and ensure a longer service life for polymer components.

In our test lab, we continuously test tribological properties of 3D printed parts based on DIN ISO 7148-2. The series of tests cover linear, pivoting and rotary movements on different shaft materials. With our filament iglidur® J260-PF, friction values and wear were low in all tests, while the standard ABS material quickly failed the rotating test on the stainless steel shaft. The printed plain bearings made from the iglidur special filament had a similar wear resistance to the standard iglidur injection-moulded parts on all test rigs. Thanks to the wear-resistant plastic iglidur I3 and an optimised tooth shape, our 3D-printed gears achieve a longer service life than standard materials.