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PTFE-free material for bearings

17 December 2024

NEW FROM igus, endurance material iglidur JPF is reported to be perfect for a wide range of wear-resistant polymer bearings as manufacturers seek to eliminate PFAS and PTFE before a potential ban in 2026.

PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are resistant to water, heat and debris. However, since the chemicals degrade very slowly, they are considered persistent pollutants. Therefore, polymer specialist igus is developing plain bearing materials such as the new iglidur JPF, which do not require PFAS materials such as PTFE at all.

In February 2023, the European Chemicals Agency published the proposal for a ban on at least 10,000 PFAS materials. The European Commission is expected to decide on the proposal in 2025. PFAS regulation, potentially including a ban, would then come into force in EU member states in 2026 at the earliest. The ban would have far-reaching consequences for industry, as well as the consumer sector.

“At the beginning of the discussion about a possible ban on PFAS, we invested in the research and development of alternative materials,” says Rob Dumayne, drytech product director at igus UK. “With substantial material development and compounding resources, we can react quickly to changes and develop new solutions.”

The result is, among other things, iglidur JPF. This new material was developed from the tried-and-tested long life material iglidur J. The new iglidur JPF plain bearing is lubrication-free, wear-resistant and has similar friction and wear coefficients to iglidur J, revealed in tests in igus’ test laboratory.

“Customers who rely on iglidur J in their machines and systems can now get an equivalent PTFE-free alternative,” says Dumayne. “Our goal is to be able to offer our standard materials with no PTFE at all. igus is currently in the process of making our formulations for iglidur X and iglidur W300 PTFE-free. The first test results are already very promising.”

www.igus.co.uk

 
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