Put on your thinking caps!
• Which bearing would you use on your
FIRST robot?: plastic, metal or bronze
• Why did you choose that particular bearing?
• Which type of bearing would you choose to
use on a lawn mower or farming equipment?
• Which type of bearing would you choose to
use on an outboard, high-speed boat motor?
Remember your answers … you might be surprised!
Working Together:
FIRST® Robotics and igus® Inc.
Overview
• Who is igus?
• What is the Y.E.S. Program?
• Put your thinking cap back on!
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Plastic vs. the other guys
Our products
Real-world application examples
Benefits of plastic components
Who is igus Inc.?
• Forty years of experience in industrial machinery
components for the motion control industry
• Large R&D effort to test wear behavior of plastics
• Current product focus: cable carrier, flexible
cables, plain bearings, spherical bearings, linear
bearings and slides
Catalog items from stock.
What is the Y.E.S. Program?
• Y.E.S. stands for the
Young Engineers Support Program
• Designed to foster the mechanical design ideas
and inventions of students who have a passion
for engineering
• FREE product donations provided to all teams
participating in FIRST Robotics
Remember your answers?
• Which bearing would you use on your
FIRST robot?: plastic, metal or bronze
• Why did you choose that particular bearing?
• Which type of bearing would you choose to
use on a lawn mower or farming equipment?
• Which type of bearing would you choose to
use on an outboard, high-speed boat motor?
Tidbits about bronze bearings
• Disadvantages
•Advantages
– Very sensitive to dirt
– Sensitive to edge pressure
– High temps breaks down oil
– Low chemical resistance
– Not suitable for linear
movements
– Sensitive to impacts and
oscillations
– Very low coefficient of
friction possible
– High precision
– High rotational speeds
possible (1,200 SFM)
– High PxV value
possible (50,000 PV)
Tidbits about plastic bearings
• Advantages
– Lightweight
– No lubrication needed
– Maintenance-free
– Dry-running
– Vibration-dampening
– Dirt- and dust-resistant
– Corrision-resistant
•Disadvantages
– Sensitive to extreme
temperature
– Sensitive to extremely
high loads
– Sensitive to extremely
high, constant speeds
Plastic vs. Bronze
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Max PSI:
Motion:
Shafting:
Grades available:
Dirty environments:
Resists squeaking:
Edge loading:
Underwater:
Suitable for clean rooms:
Plastic Contact
Service life predictors:
Technical data available:
Iglide®
Oilite Bronze
up to 21,750 PSI
Any (including dual)
Any (soft/SS/HR/steel)
Over 20
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
8,000 PSI
HS rotating
Carbon steel, hard
1
No
Only if it’s oiled
No
No
No
No
?
?
Edge pressure
F
metal bearings
The bearing material has a low flexibility:
the contact surface between shaft and
bearing is only a point.
• High specific pressure (load per mm²)
• High wear of the bearing
• Shaft could be consumed
plastic bearings
The bearing material has a high flexibility:
the contact surface between shaft and
bearing is a bigger surface
• Lower specific pressure (load per mm²)
• Lower wear of the bearing
• Shaft will be not consumed!
A closer look at
iglide plastic bearings
• Features:
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Long-lasting
Self-lubricating
Maintenance-free
Dust- and dirt-resistant
• More than 7,000 metric
and inch bearing sizes
and styles from stock
In the real world
• Iglide J on lawn mower deck
– Enables pivoting and linear
movement in caster wheel
– Plastic bearings outperformed
bronze in every test
• Benefits of iglide J
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Withstands high edge pressure
Withstands high impact/shock loads
Compensates for edge loads
Great wear resistance with high loads
No grease, no maintenance
Corrosion-resistant
In the real world
Mercury Marine
• Iglide G300/D on outdoor, high-speed boat motor
– Iglide D enables tilt and trim of the motor in the steering
mechanism and transform assembly
– Iglide G300 is used in oscillating pivot joints
• Benefits of iglide J
– Eliminates the need for grease, which contaminates
water and potentially harms wildlife
– Eliminates maintenance
– Low water absorption
– Low coefficient of friction
– Corrosion-free
– In depth test data and predictability methods
In the FIRST arena
Carmel High School, Team 868
• Products used
– Iglide bearings
– Igubal® spherical bearings
• Used on:
– Shooting system
– Roller system
• Benefits:
– Lightweight
– Reduced weight of the robot
by 20 pounds!
Iglide (inside wheel mechanism)
A closer look at
igubal spherical bearings
• Features
– Self-aligning
– Oil-free
• Includes spherical, clip,
pillow block and rod
end bearings
In the real world
Big Cat Human Powered Vehicles
• Igubal spherical bearings on a
recumbent tricycle
– Enables lighter, cleaner and more
reliable steering for the rider
• Benefits of iglide J
– Self-aligning, which diverts the need
for exact placement of shafts/housing
– Lubrication-free
– Corrosion- and wear-resistant
– 80% lighter than steel
– Excellent vibration-dampening
igubal rod end
“The igubal bearings do a better job of absorbing vibration from
wheel to arms. We also can use a really large rod end without
increasing the weight too much. This in turn enables us to use a
stiffer rod which produces better wheel alignment.”
~Paulo Camasmie, president of Big Cat Human Powered Vehicles
In the FIRST arena
Upper Darby High School, Team #357
• Products used
– 34 igubal spherical bearings
– 253 iglide Z bearings
– DryLin S aluminum shafting
• Used on:
– Shooting system
– Roller system
• Benefits:
– Lightweight
– Self-aligning
– Maintenance-free, which saved the team a lot of time!
igubal
A closer look at
DryLin R linear bearings
• Features:
– Corrosion-resistant
– Dirt-resistant
– Vibration dampening
• Ideal alternative to recirculating ball bearings
In the real world
International Climbing Machines
• DryLin R on a climbing machine
– Aids machine in scaling walls to
eliminate hazardous chemicals
from various locations such as
bridges, ships and towers
• Benefits of DryLin R
– Durable
– Lightweight, which makes it
much easier for the machine to
easily adhere to surfaces
The climbing machine is remotely operated
by humans safe on the ground.
DryLin R
“The quality of the igus products has been exceptional.”
~Sam Maggio, ICM president
In the FIRST arena
Parkview/North Little Rock High School
• Products used
– DryLin R
– Energy Chain
• Used on:
– Scissor-lift module
– Body of robot to protect wiring
• Benefits:
– Increased the efficiency of
the module by 50%
– Lightweight
A closer look at
DryLin linear guide systems
• Features:
– Corrosion-resistant
– Lightweight
– Lubrication-free
• Perfect for diverse,
extreme environments
In the real word
Schneider Packaging
• DryLin W on a bottle-packaging machine
– Acts as a vertical guide for a grabbing device
• Benefits of DryLin W
– Able to maintain 24-hour/four cases per
minute operation schedule
– Lightweight
– Maintenance-free
– Corrosion-resistant
In the FIRST arena
Gross Pointe North Public Schools,
Team #1189
• Products used
– DryLin N
• Used on:
– Slide/plunger system, which
enabled the robot to shoot
game balls into goals
• Benefits:
– Lightweight
– Maintenance-free
– Easy to install
A closer look at Energy Chain
• All-plastic cable carriers
• Guides, protects and extends the service life of
cables and hoses on automated machinery
• Used in industries such as:
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Robotics
Aerospace
Automotive
Machine tools
In the real world
Case IH
• Energy Chain on a seed planter
– Guides and protects hydraulic hoses
– Eliminates debris build-up
– Aids in the retraction process of the planter
• Benefits of Energy Chain
– Lightweight
– Reliable – projected to last for the life of
machine, which is 10 years
– Corrosion-resistant
In the FIRST arena
Poudre High School, Team #159
• Products used
– Energy Chain
• Used to:
– House and protect cables and
wires on robot
• Benefits:
– Lightweight
– Strong enough to endure all
bumps, scrapes and shoving
that the robot endured
Energy Chain
Good luck to all FIRST teams!
Visit http://www.igus.com/yesprogram to
request additional igus products!