Polymer coating powder from igus delivers four times longer service life than IC-01
Sheet metal and metallic parts in food processing are regularly exposed to friction and wear. Motion plastics expert igus has developed a new coating material to increase the service life of these components by reducing friction and wear.
The IC-05 tribo-polymer protects sensitive and small bearing points, as well as sliding surfaces, Coloured blue for high visibility, the polymer is approved for use in manufacturing by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA). In tests, the new coating returned four times’ longer service life than the standard iglidur coating material IC-01.
Essential systems
Automated systems are essential in the food industry. But what happens if a bottle falls over in the filling line or a packet of soup gets wedged between moving parts and tears open? This can lead to unplanned plant shutdown, costing time and money.
Moving components with a low coefficient of friction are preferred to minimise plant damage and downtime. To give guide plates, metallic sliding parts or even parts with complex geometries high wear resistance, igus has now developed a new coating material especially for use in food machinery.
Highly visible
“The high-performance IC-05 polymer complies with both FDA and EU10/2011 regulations, and is therefore ideally suited for contact with food. Its blue colour makes it highly visible in a food processing environment,” says igus. “The superior material significantly reduces the coefficient of friction of the coated parts and increases the service life and availability of the equipment. It also improves product safety and reduces the costs of parts replacement.”
No lubrication is ever required, the company adds. The powder material can be applied onto the desired components, either by the customer or by igus. Layer thicknesses of 60 to 120 μm are possible. "Especially for places where there is no space for a plain bearing, a coating of the moving parts that are exposed to wear is a good idea," states Rob Dumayne, director of drytech in the UK.