iglidur HSD350 plain bearing material clearly displays its advantages over its metallic counterparts in the food and medical industries. Able to withstand temperatures up to 180degC continuously and temporarily up to 210degC, the low-cost material is the new all-rounder for use in hot steam sterilisation during autoclaving.
Autoclaving is one of the most important methods for killing bacteria during the production of foodstuffs, medicines and in the cleaning of medical products. In the standard method, heating to 121degC at 2 bar takes place in the pressure vessel for 15-20 minutes, or to 134degC for 2-3 minutes at 3 bar steam pressure with particularly resistant bacteria.
Robert Dumayne, dry-tech director, igus says: "This is a challenge for the individual parts of the machine, particularly the bearings. For metallic bearings, a special high-temperature lubrication is often necessary; however, the sterilisation affect is reduced significantly for products that use grease."
As a self-lubricating and maintenance-free alternative to metallic bearings, the iglidur HSD350 plain bearing material is resistant to heat, pressure and moisture, and is corrosion free. The new material thus proves to be very resistant to media and remains undamaged even in hot steam sterilisation processes.
Dumayne adds: "This provides the customer with the opportunity of designing bearings and joints so that perfect cleaning results can be achieved in more complex, non-separable units."
iglidur HSD350 is now available from a quantity of one and available for immediate delivery from 24 hours. For more information about iglidur materials, please visit www.igus.co.uk/iglidur.