Lubrication-free bearings in dust and moisture in foot pedals for agricultural machinery

Profile

• What was needed: iglidur J plain bearings
• Requirements: Difficult environmental conditions in driver's cabs characterised by dust, humidity, temperature fluctuations, aggressive cleaning agents as well as loads from diesel or fertilisers; many years of reliability and durability
• Industry: Agricultural and construction machinery
• Success for the customer: iglidur plain bearings do not need to be lubricated and guarantee optimum coefficients of friction and wear over the entire service life; by dispensing with lubricants, no dirt and grime can stick to the bearing points; low wall thickness takes up little installation space in the application; significantly lower price

In use for over 10 years - plastic bearings from igus ensure smooth movements in foot pedals from Sensata.

Problem

The environmental conditions in the driver's cabs in agricultural and construction machinery are difficult: dust, humidity, temperature fluctuations, aggressive cleaning agents and exposure to diesel or fertilizer. This is where the products of Sensata Technologies GmbH are used. With 22,000 employees, Sensata is one of the leading manufacturers of sensors and man-machine interface products such as Motorcycle handles, joysticks, operating units for construction and agricultural machinery, cranes and lifting platforms or even foot pedals Foot pedals in particular must be able to withstand extreme stress from foreign matter and moisture. In places, the pedals can even be several centimetres deep in the gravel.
Despite these conditions, it is of course essential for the used components to ensure reliable operation to users. Above all, moving parts such as foot pedals must always be easy to operate.
The customers of Sensata Technologies GmbH, manufacturers of agricultural and construction machinery, always demand many years of reliability and durability. The complete unit must last a long time, which Sensata also promises its customers.

Solution

Plain bearings made of the material iglidur J have been used in the company's foot pedals for over ten years. This is considered to be a cost-effective but at the same time very versatile endurance runner, which is very wear-resistant on various shafts. This is a great advantage, as the counter partner here is a plastic shaft, which is rather unusual. Normally the heat development can be a challenge with this pairing. However, this can be neglected in this application due to the low rotational speed.
Unlike metal bearings, the plastic bearings from igus do not have to be lubricated with oils or greases. Due to microscopic abrasion, the solid lubricants homogeneously distributed within the bearing are released and deposited on the counter partner, whereby a lubricating effect is achieved. This ensures optimum coefficients of friction and wear over the entire service life. By dispensing with conventional lubricants, no dirt and grime can stick to the bearing points either. In addition to the significantly lower price, another decisive advantage was that the plastic plain bearings take up less installation space than sintered bearings due to their thinner walls.

Put to the acid test - several tests of the foot pedals were successfully completed at Sensata that covered the required five million operations.

The absence of external lubricants means that no dirt or dust adheres to the bearings, which could potentially impair movement.