Precision and good sliding properties with iglidur high-performance polymers for a precisely fitting fixture for a profile saw

• What was needed: Fixture for a profile saw
• Manufacturing process: Filament extrusion (FDM) & selective laser sintering (SLS)
• Requirements: Precise fit, good sliding properties, abrasion resistance
• Material: iglidur i190 & iglidur i3
• Industry: Machine tools
• Success through collaboration: More precise sawing of the rails possible

The application at a glance:
To ensure that the cutting of igus drylin rails always has exactly the same distance to the first or last hole, the drylin engineers have designed a fixture that holds the rails at right angles to the working surface of the profile saw. Without this fixture, they would rest at an angle on the work surface, making it difficult to cut the rails with repeatable accuracy. With a first fixture made of aluminium, scratches quickly appeared on the rails. For a test phase to find a suitable material, two fixtures of different lengths were made of iglidur i190 and iglidur i3. Initial tests speak for themselves: Due to the tribological properties of the iglidur materials, scratches no longer occur on the rails and almost identical cutting to size is now possible.

With a profile saw, which is used among other things for large orders, linear rails from the igus drylin range are cut to size according to customer requirements. While the rail is clamped, a pin is inserted into the first hole so that the distance between the hole and the end of the rail can be defined. This is important to ensure a precise fit of the rail in the customer application. However, this was not always exact until now because the rail was inclined on the work surface, which meant that the conical pin could not be inserted into the hole at the correct angle. A precision-fit jig was needed to hold the rail at right angles to the profile saw and thus guarantee correct engagement of the pin in the hole. In addition, the material of the device needed to have good sliding properties, so as not to damage the rails, e.g. by scratching them. Furthermore, a high wear resistance of the device was important as it is exposed to considerable stress in daily use.

A first device made of aluminium caused scratches on the rails. An alternative solution was quickly found in the 3D printing service from igus. Within a very short time, a long and a short fixture for the saw cell were constructed. The larger part could be manufactured quickly in the filament extrusion process from iglidur i190 , whereas the smaller part could be planned and printed more easily in selective laser sintering from iglidur i3. Both tribologically optimised materials were able to meet the requirements. There are no more scratches on the rails and the accuracy of fit provides better stability and increased accuracy when sawing.

With more than ten different materials and various additive-manufacturing processes, igus offers a wide range for all possible applications. This can be a particular advantage in the test phase: the fast and cost-effective production of prototypes helps customers decide which material is best suited for their application. Each material has different benefits for different applications. In this case, two components of different lengths were manufactured: the long insert was made of iglidur i190 using the filament extrusion process (FDM) because this was quicker to produce on the FDM printer. The short stop-dog was made from iglidur i3 in the laser sintering system as it was easier to dimension there. All iglidur materials are tribologically optimised - so-called high-performance polymers. They contain incorporated solid lubricants and therefore require no external lubrication. The iglidur i190 printing filament has a high wear resistance and excellent mechanical specifications (strength, toughness, layer adhesion). It can be processed on standard 3D printers and its abrasion resistance is up to 50 times better than that of ABS. iglidur i3 is a laser-sintering powder and, like iglidur i190, has a high wear resistance and is extremely strong. iglidur i3 is ideal for applications where a high level of detail is required, e.g. all types of gears.

Since the end of 2019, there has been a material partnership between the leading and globally renowned manufacturer of 3D printers in the prosumer sector Ultimaker and igus GmbH. Specifically, this means that in the Marketplace of the slicing software "Cura", which was specially developed for Ultimaker 3D printers, optimised profiles for the tribofilaments are available from igus (including the new iglidur i190 filament). The big advantage is that the material properties for printing are directly taken into account by the product range, thus eliminating the need for an initial test phase for the interaction of 3D printer and filament. Material, but also time and costs can thus be saved with every printing process. This means that Ultimaker customers can print out small and large wear parts themselves and benefit from this unique cooperation.