Linear bearings & slides from drylin^®

A: The location of both the drive force and payload's center of gravity, as well as load-force, speed, and precision requirements need to be taken into consideration.  Typically drylin® has a clearance range of 0.02-15mm, but we do offer many preloaded or adjustable versions.

A: igus® has the world’s largest ‘motion plastic’ test lab where we perform over 15,000 tests per year.  For an overview of this and the certifications and approvals please click this link. 

A: igus® provides an online lifetime calculator which calculates wear per km (or mile), calculates the stack-up clearance for your application, a pdf report of your application, as well as other valuable engineering information.  And yes, the liners are easy to replace and offer several ‘quick change’ options. For a video please click here.

A:  Depending on the size we stock rails in lengths between 2000mm – 4000mm.  Most sizes can be joined together.  For more information please click here.

A: Yes, we cut rails in-house to an overall +/-2mm length tolerance on a chop saw.  The rails are cut to the desired length with the holes symmetrically placed.  We also carry no-hole rail and are able to customize the parts based on your needs—simply provide us with a drawing and we are happy to help. We also offer a linear shaft configurator which provides both 2D and 3D CAD files, assigns a part number, and allows you to order online.

A: Since drylin® is self-lubricating and does not require oil or grease they are ideal in dirty, dusty environments. Since drylin® is based on corrosion-resistant bearing liners and either anodized aluminum or 300-series stainless rails/shafts they are commonly used in splash-water, underwater, saltwater and chemical washdown applications.  We have passed saltwater testing in several major boat manufacturer’s test labs.

A: drylin® rails and slides offer a significant amount of noise reduction compared to recirculation ball bearing systems. In most cases drylin® plastic bearings technology is 4 times quieter (-20b) compared to metal. This is due to our maintenance free sliding elements made of high-performance, self-lubricating plastics. For more information, please click here.

A: igus® offers linear rails, pillow blocks and carriages. We offer shaft options in several different material options: steel, stainless and nonferrous options like hard/clear anodized aluminum and carbon fiber, in both inch and metric sizes. Our linear slide bearings, pillow block and carriage options include stainless steel aluminum and diecast zinc. 

A: drylin® floating bearings offer advantages for nearly all applications. They offer an easier assembly, less adjustment necessary and lower wear and drive force by elimination of misalignment forces on the bearings. To help prevent binding simply mount the linear guides with one guide fixed and the other guide floating. This allows for lower friction-forces, lower wear, as well as being easier to assemble.

A: Yes, igus® has options for curved rails in full circle, half circle and quadrant. We also have options in  convex and concave. Additional information can be found here.

A: When two linear guides are mounted in parallel, with bearings on each guide connected by a plate or carriage, precautions must be taken to prevent binding, or “jerking” motion that can be caused by misalignment between the rails, uneven loads on each bearing, or differences in manufacturing tolerances between rails and bearings. Here are some helpful tips for aligning igus® rails.

A: Yes, in most cases igus® products can be easily retrofitted to replace up and running systems. Our drylin® T and R are often used as a direct replacement recirculating ball bearings systems, and even drylin® W has a cross-reference option.