iglide® PEP – for all shaft surfaces and materials
For the success of a plain bearing solution, the shaft is just as important as the plain bearing itself in the normal case. With iglide® PEP bearings, a self-enclosed and maintenance-free plain bearing concept, igus® takes a completely new approach.
 

When to use iglide® PEP plain bearings? When a low priced polymer plain bearing system is required When independence from the shaft material and shaft surface is required For the protection of expensive and sensitive shafts For excellent wear resistance in rare and slow movements For constantly low coefficients of friction If corrosion resistance is required

When not to use it? For high surface speeds For high loads For high temperatures When low clearance bearings are required Use our filter options to find the most suitable product

Maintenance-free plain bearings are generally described as being able to slide on the shaft without any additional coating and/or lubrication. It is obvious that for these systems, shaft materials are just as important as the bearing bush itself. igus® takes a new approach with a self-enclosed and maintenance-free plain bearing concept.
 
iglide® PEP is an innovative design for lubrication-free polymer plain bearing systems with an inner and outer ring. The special feature; the sliding surface is the inner ring, and for the first, time shaft materials and shaft surfaces are not a concern. Even threads, rust and scratches do not affect the performance or reliability. With the control over the sliding surface and through considerable testing, the long-term behavior of the bearing system can be predicted precisely. Similar to ball bearings, the inner ring turns with the shaft in the polymer PEP plain bearing. Relative movements of the shaft with respect to the bearing are eliminated. This protects the shaft surface from wear and saves costs. An additional benefit; even the most sensitive or unusual materials can be used as the rotating shaft with this new polymer plain bearing. Due to the bearing materials used, the PEP polymer bearing is totally corrosion free.
 
Wear resistance
For loads up to 5 N/mm² the wear test results are compelling. Here PEP polymer bearings obtain values that are comparable to most wear resistant metal-backed bearing systems. This is a very positive result, when you consider the reduced costs compared with the required shaft surface finish which is demanded by traditional bearings. The consistently low coefficient of friction is also an advantage to the user. Since the running surfaces are fixed, the tribological data can be calculated. The coefficients of friction of the PEP bearings are no longer based on the shaft materials or surface properties. If necessary, the coefficients of friction can be reduced further with a small amount of lubricant. Detailed test information with different lubricants is available and can be ordered from igus®.
 
Assembly
The installation of the PEP plain bearing could not be easier or faster. The bearings are manufactured to be press fitted into a recommended housing bore of H7 tolerance. Then, the shaft is inserted and fits tightly onto the inner ring. The inner bearing is clipped into the outer ring. This design makes it possible to pull the shaft out without removing the inner ring.