Find the right plain bearing even faster

(See igus at MachineBuilding.Live, 2 October 2024, on stand 56)

Regardless of whether it is a catalogue part or a special bearing, customers get a transparent overview of all plain bearings that are suitable for their application. Practical filters such as price, delivery time and service life help with the selection. Technical drawings and CAD data are available for free downloading.

The iglidur bearing hub from igus is a web shop for plain bearings with a new, easy-to-use interface and unique functions. Similar to an online retail tool for selecting fashion, customers can now quickly find the right plain bearings for their application on a modern user interface. But in addition to the slicker operation, the web shop has completely new functions.

igus has provided different online tools for several years, that include calculating the service life of components to facilitate material selection or determining the cheapest or fastest manufacturing option for custom-made products with price and delivery time. The new shop now combines catalogue, web shop and a calculation programme in one, helping the customer to find the cheapest and/or most suitable plain bearing for his application.

Instead of clicking through more than 50 different iglidur materials, the user now simply enters the known dimensions and operating conditions of their desired plain bearing. The shop displays all suitable products including service life, price and delivery time in just seconds. The more requirements the plain bearing must meet, such as FDA conformity, operating temperatures or loads, the more refined the selection becomes. If the entries do not match the dimensions of standard products, prices and delivery times for custom-made products in that material are calculated in real time.

"The new igus web shop for iglidur plain bearings sets another milestone in the digitalisation of our services," says Rob Dumayne, drytech director at igus UK. "Our goal is to make the procurement process as simple and efficient as possible for our customers."

Developed with customers

Over 12-months, a four-person IT team and interdisciplinary employees from other teams developed the web shop, working with igus customers from the outset. "The customer workshops and our own experience have shown that designers and application developers are primarily looking for standards that already exist," says Dumayne.

"The core requirements are different for each case. Sometimes a single dimension, such as the inner diameter, is fixed and the rest is optional, while in other cases the requirements are so specific that no standard plain bearing fits, so a custom-made product is required."

Special shapes can now also be ordered directly via the new web shop. These can be special parts from the FastLine injection moulding service, turned parts made of semi-finished products, or even special 3D printed parts. The online shop has been live since the end of 2023 and is also used by igus technical sales consultants in the field. "The feedback from our customers and colleagues shows us that the user interface is working and that the selection and ordering process is now faster," says Dumayne.

Finally, the web shop also provides technical drawings and CAD data for each iglidur plain bearing. This makes it easier for engineers and buyers to select the optimal bearing for their specific requirements.