They are compact and lightweight and show how things are done. They have been developed specifically for movement in tight spaces and give igus an entire PRT-04 modular system. The lubrication-free slewing ring bearing system comes in eight sizes. They feature outer tooth drive and angle stop (optional), and now also inner drive teeth and a locking function. This allows the design engineer to find the product needed for applications with very little installation space.
igus slewing ring bearings rotate assembly units, control panels and indexing tables, even at high speeds. In order for them to turn whilst remaining maintenance-free, igus uses sliding elements that work radially and axially between the bearing’s inner and outer races. The slides made of the high-performance polymer iglidur J ensure that friction and wear are minimised, without lubrication. Introduced as a new product in 2019, igus is now launching an entire modular system for its PRT-04 compact slewing ring bearing range.
The corrosion-resistant slewing rings have been developed specifically for use in tight installation spaces and loads of up to 48,000N. This range has the advantage of requiring only half the space the PRT-01 needs, being 60% lighter and costing 20% less. Arguments that convince customers include the following: “The PRT-04 slewing ring bearings allowed us to implement several applications in automation technology, the packaging industry and furniture technology”, says Stefan Loockmann-Rittich, Head of igus GmbH iglidur® bearings Business Unit. “The series has now been expanded so that design engineers can have even greater design freedom.”
Compact drive with inner drive teeth and new locking function
The compact, lightweight slewing rings are available in a total of eight sizes from 20 to 300 millimetres. In addition to accessories such as drive pins, variable mounting plates and clamping levers, igus offers three outer drive ring systems and one inner drive ring for very limited installation spaces, such as in driverless transport systems. The slewing ring bearings are driven with drive belts or gears that igus manufactures with injection moulding from highly wear-resistant tribo-polymers. igus has also developed a slewing ring bearing with a locking function specifically for applications such as assembly tables.
The locking points are either fixed at 90° or can be defined according to customer requirements. For special areas of use, igus supplies a slewing ring bearing version with dissipative sliding elements to prevent electric charge in an ESD-compliant manner. As with all igus products, the service life of the slewing ring bearings can also be calculated online for the respective application.