Press release for LogiMAT 2015/ 16.12.2014
Plastic instead of metal
Engineering plastics are lighter and more cost-effective than metals
and are often the better alternative. One example is faigle's roller shaft
pins manufactured from high-tech plastic for conveyor systems in
intralogistics. Using plastic shaft pins results in an 88% weight
saving.
The once often derided "plastic" has long since become a high-tech
material. The development potential of plastic is far from exhausted: it has
become increasingly possible to give the material new properties, making it
suitable for applications previously reserved solely for metals.
Where can plastic replace metal? "A good place to start is products that
have been over-engineered. That happens much more frequently than you
would think, but in most cases you have to look at possibilities in a little
more detail," explains Thomas Decker, Sales Group Manager Components
at faigle Kunststoffe GmbH. For example, roller shaft pins in conveyor
systems. They are made from steel and are capable of carrying ten times
the load capacity of the rollers they support. "A shaft pin made from plastic
is perfectly adequate and the obvious better alternative here."
While a steel shaft pin weighs about 150 grams, a plastic roller shaft pin
from faigle weighs only 18 grams – a weight saving of 88%. Compared to a
steel shaft pin, a plastic version is not only lighter, it also costs 50% less.
Plastic shaft pins have proven to be much more durable too. We have
shown this to be true with engineering calculations as well as a hardness
test: the rollers failed after 24 hours under continuous, very hard impact
loading, while the plastic shaft pins were still fully functional and showing no
signs of wear.
An 88% weight saving is a lot in intralogistics. The conveyor systems at
airports or logistics centres, for example, are often several hundred metres
long and have 2-4 rollers per metre. Surplus weight costs money at all
stages – first at the time of purchase and then later during operation. Plastic
shaft pins can save up to 53 kilos per 100 metres.
faigle is presenting rollers, component assemblies and sliding elements for
conveying systems at LogiMAT from 10–12 February 2015. Interested
visitors can find full information about faigle products at LogiMAT 2015,
Hall 3, Stand 3B37.
The faigle Group employs more than 390 people and achieved a turnover of EUR 61 million in
2013. faigle has a reputation for innovative solutions in the field of technical thermoplastic
plastics and successfully combines the values of a traditional family firm with the drive to
innovate and expand of a market leader in first-class plastic solutions in machinery and plant
engineering, particularly in the escalator, conveying systems and railway sectors.
Contacts
yes or no Media GmbH
Claudia Wörner
Neue Weinsteige 47–49
D-70180 Stuttgart
Tel. +49 (0) 711/75 85 89 00
Fax +49 (0) 711/75 85 89 11
faigle Kunststoffe GmbH
Manuela Boss-Herburger
Landstr. 31
A-6971 Hard
Tel. +43 (0) 5574/68 11-1605
Fax +43 (0) 5574/68 11-1809
Mobile +49 (0) 170/3 10 36 62
presse@yes-or-no.de
www.yes-or-no.de
manuela.boss-herburger@faigle.com
www.faigle.com
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The headquarters of the faigle Group are in Hard in Vorarlberg, Austria. In addition to three
companies in Austria, faigle also has branches in China and Switzerland. The proportion of
exports is 68 per cent and the main markets are Europe, Asia and the United States.
Photographs:
8-times lighter than a steel shaft pin: faigle plastic roller shaft pins.
faigle roller shaft pins mounted in a roller bracket: showed no signs of wear in a hardness test.
Often the better alternative: engineering plastics are lighter and more cost-effective than metals.
As the owner of the unrestricted rights to these images, we grant your magazine
usage rights within the scope of this article. This also applies to the variants of these
images in printable resolution and to their use in print and online.
Contacts
yes or no Media GmbH
Claudia Wörner
Neue Weinsteige 47–49
D-70180 Stuttgart
Tel. +49 (0) 711/75 85 89 00
Fax +49 (0) 711/75 85 89 11
faigle Kunststoffe GmbH
Manuela Boss-Herburger
Landstr. 31
A-6971 Hard
Tel. +43 (0) 5574/68 11-1605
Fax +43 (0) 5574/68 11-1809
Mobile +49 (0) 170/3 10 36 62
presse@yes-or-no.de
www.yes-or-no.de
manuela.boss-herburger@faigle.com
www.faigle.com
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