Which bearing would you use on your FIRST robot?: plastic, metal or bronze

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Put on your thinking caps!

• Which bearing would you use on your FIRST
  robot? plastic, metal or bronze
• Why did you choose that particular bearing?
• Which type of bearing would you choose to use on
  a lawn mower or farming equipment?
• Which type of bearing would you choose to use on
  an outboard, high-speed boat motor?

Remember your answers you might be surprised!
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Working TogetherFIRST Robotics and igus Inc.
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Overview

• Who is igus?
• What is the Y.E.S. Program?
• Put your thinking cap back on!
• Plastic vs. the other guys
• Our products
• Real-world application examples
• Benefits of plastic components

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Who is igus Inc.?

• Forty years of experience in industrial machinery
  components for the motion control industry
• Large RD effort to test wear behavior of
  plastics
• Current product focus cable carrier, flexible
  cables, plain bearings, spherical bearings,
  linear bearings and slides

Catalog items from stock.
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What is the Y.E.S. Program?

• Y.E.S. stands for the Young Engineers Support
  Program
• Designed to foster the mechanical design ideas
  and inventions of students who have a passion for
  engineering
• FREE product donations provided to all teams
  participating in FIRST Robotics

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Remember your answers?

• Which bearing would you use on your FIRST
  robot? plastic, metal or bronze
• Why did you choose that particular bearing?
• Which type of bearing would you choose to use on
  a lawn mower or farming equipment?
• Which type of bearing would you choose to use on
  an outboard, high-speed boat motor?

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Tidbits about bronze bearings

• Advantages
• Very low coefficient of friction possible
• High precision
• High rotational speeds possible (1,200 SFM)
• High PxV value possible (50,000 PV)

• Disadvantages
• Very sensitive to dirt
• Sensitive to edge pressure
• High temps breaks down oil
• Low chemical resistance
• Not suitable for linear movements
• Sensitive to impacts and oscillations

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Tidbits about plastic bearings

• Disadvantages
• Sensitive to extreme temperature
• Sensitive to extremely high loads
• Sensitive to extremely high, constant speeds

• Advantages
• Lightweight
• No lubrication needed
• Maintenance-free
• Dry-running
• Vibration-dampening
• Dirt- and dust-resistant
• Corrision-resistant

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Plastic vs. Bronze
Iglide Oilite Bronze

• Max PSI up to 21,750 PSI 8,000 PSI
• Motion Any (including dual) HS rotating
  
• Shafting Any (soft/SS/HR/steel) Carbon steel,
  hard
• Grades available Over 20 1
• Dirty environments Yes No
• Resists squeaking Yes Only if its oiled
• Edge loading Yes No
• Underwater Yes No
• Suitable for clean rooms Yes No
• Plastic Contact Yes No
• Service life predictors Yes ?
• Technical data available Yes ?

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Edge pressure
F
plastic bearings
metal bearings

• The bearing material has a high flexibility
• the contact surface between shaft and
• bearing is a bigger surface
• Lower specific pressure (load per mm²)
• Lower wear of the bearing
• Shaft will be not consumed!

• The bearing material has a low flexibility
• the contact surface between shaft and
• bearing is only a point.
• High specific pressure (load per mm²)
• High wear of the bearing
• Shaft could be consumed

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A closer look at iglide plastic bearings

• Features
• Long-lasting
• Self-lubricating
• Maintenance-free
• Dust- and dirt-resistant
• More than 7,000 metric and inch bearing sizes and
  styles from stock

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In the real world

• Iglide J on lawn mower deck
• Enables pivoting and linear movement in caster
  wheel
• Plastic bearings outperformed bronze in every
  test
• Benefits of iglide J
• Withstands high edge pressure
• Withstands high impact/shock loads
• Compensates for edge loads
• Great wear resistance with high loads
• No grease, no maintenance
• Corrosion-resistant

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In the real world

• Mercury Marine
• Iglide G300/D on outdoor, high-speed boat motor
• Iglide D enables tilt and trim of the motor in
  the steering mechanism and transform assembly
• Iglide G300 is used in oscillating pivot joints
• Benefits of iglide J
• Eliminates the need for grease, which
  contaminates water and potentially harms
  wildlife
• Eliminates maintenance
• Low water absorption
• Low coefficient of friction
• Corrosion-free
• In depth test data and predictability methods

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In the FIRST arena

• Carmel High School, Team 868
• Products used
• Iglide bearings
• Igubal spherical bearings
• Used on
• Shooting system
• Roller system
• Benefits
• Lightweight
• Reduced weight of the robot by 20 pounds!

Iglide (inside wheel mechanism)
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A closer look at igubal spherical bearings

• Features
• Self-aligning
• Oil-free
• Includes spherical, clip, pillow block and rod
  end bearings

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In the real world

• Big Cat Human Powered Vehicles
• Igubal spherical bearings on a recumbent tricycle
• Enables lighter, cleaner and more reliable
  steering for the rider
• Benefits of iglide J
• Self-aligning, which diverts the need for exact
  placement of shafts/housing
• Lubrication-free
• Corrosion- and wear-resistant
• 80 lighter than steel
• Excellent vibration-dampening

igubal rod end
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The igubal bearings do a better job of absorbing
vibration from wheel to arms. We also can use a
really large rod end without increasing the
weight too much. This in turn enables us to use
a stiffer rod which produces better wheel
alignment. Paulo Camasmie, president of Big Cat
Human Powered Vehicles
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In the FIRST arena

• Upper Darby High School, Team 357
• Products used
• 34 igubal spherical bearings
• 253 iglide Z bearings
• DryLin S aluminum shafting
• Used on
• Shooting system
• Roller system
• Benefits
• Lightweight
• Self-aligning
• Maintenance-free, which saved the team a lot of
  time!

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igubal
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A closer look atDryLin R linear bearings

• Features
• Corrosion-resistant
• Dirt-resistant
• Vibration dampening
• Ideal alternative to re-circulating ball bearings

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In the real world

• International Climbing Machines
• DryLin R on a climbing machine
• Aids machine in scaling walls to eliminate
  hazardous chemicals from various locations such
  as bridges, ships and towers
• Benefits of DryLin R
• Durable
• Lightweight, which makes it much easier for the
  machine to easily adhere to surfaces

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The climbing machine is remotely operated by
humans safe on the ground.
DryLin R

• The quality of the igus products has been
  exceptional.
• Sam Maggio, ICM president

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In the FIRST arena

• Parkview/North Little Rock High School
• Products used
• DryLin R
• Energy Chain
• Used on
• Scissor-lift module
• Body of robot to protect wiring
• Benefits
• Increased the efficiency of the module by 50
• Lightweight

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A closer look at DryLin linear guide systems

• Features
• Corrosion-resistant
• Lightweight
• Lubrication-free
• Perfect for diverse, extreme environments

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In the real word

• Schneider Packaging
• DryLin W on a bottle-packaging machine
• Acts as a vertical guide for a grabbing device
• Benefits of DryLin W
• Able to maintain 24-hour/four cases per minute
  operation schedule
• Lightweight
• Maintenance-free
• Corrosion-resistant

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In the FIRST arena

• Gross Pointe North Public Schools, Team 1189
• Products used
• DryLin N
• Used on
• Slide/plunger system, which enabled the robot to
  shoot game balls into goals
• Benefits
• Lightweight
• Maintenance-free
• Easy to install

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A closer look at Energy Chain

• All-plastic cable carriers
• Guides, protects and extends the service life of
  cables and hoses on automated machinery
• Used in industries such as
• Robotics
• Aerospace
• Automotive
• Machine tools

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In the real world

• Case IH
• Energy Chain on a seed planter
• Guides and protects hydraulic hoses
• Eliminates debris build-up
• Aids in the retraction process of the planter
• Benefits of Energy Chain
• Lightweight
• Reliable projected to last for the life of
  machine, which is 10 years
• Corrosion-resistant

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In the FIRST arena

• Poudre High School, Team 159
• Products used
• Energy Chain
• Used to
• House and protect cables and wires on robot
• Benefits
• Lightweight
• Strong enough to endure all bumps, scrapes and
  shoving that the robot endured

Energy Chain
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• Good luck to all FIRST teams!
• Visit http//www.igus.com/yesprogram to request
  additional igus products!