Change Language :

Application scenarios for iglidur powder coatings

Where are iglidur powder coatings best suited for use?
iglidur coatings are used wherever friction needs to be reduced, wear minimised and maintenance costs lowered.
The following application scenarios are examples of the environments and component types in which our tribologically optimised coatings can prove particularly effective.

The applications shown are based on typical requirements from practice and serve as orientation for possible fields of application. They are intended as a technical recommendation - not as a project-specific reference.

Whether conveyor technology, bulk handling or material handling: iglidur powder coatings enable low-wear, low-maintenance and friction-optimised surface solutions for your parts and components.

What you will find on this page

Vibrating spiral conveyor

In vibrating spiral conveyors, components are transported, sorted or separated using controlled oscillating movements. The continuous micro-movement between the conveyed material and the trough leads to surface wear and undesirable noise development.

An iglidur powder coating can provide the contact surfaces with a friction-optimised, resistant plastic layer. This can reduce wear, improve running behaviour and convey sensitive components more gently. At the same time, there is no need for additional lubrication, which is particularly advantageous in sensitive production environments.

More information on powder coating

Fixed plates in conveyor technology

Fixed plates are used in conveyor systems wherever goods are transferred, moved or separated in a controlled manner. Permanent contact with the conveyed material results in high friction and abrasive wear - especially in the case of dry or unguided movements.

An iglidur powder coating can be used here as a low-wear, lubrication-free gliding layer. It reduces coefficients of friction, minimises material build-up and increases the service life of the components. The tribologically optimised surface offers potential for reducing downtimes and service costs, particularly in high-maintenance conveyor systems.

More information on coated plates

Parcel chutes

Parcel chutes in material handling and in the shipping area are exposed to high mechanical loads. Cardboard boxes, plastic containers or shipping goods slide over the surfaces at different speeds, which can lead to abrasion, material fatigue and increased maintenance requirements.

An iglidur powder coating creates a durable, slip-optimised surface with defined coefficients of friction. It can reduce wear on the sliding surface and contribute to more even sliding behaviour. This offers potential for process stabilisation and service life extension, particularly in automated logistics systems.

More information on coated plates

Bottle sorter

Bottle sorters are used in filling and packaging lines to feed, align or separate bottles in the correct position. This results in continuous sliding and impact movements between plastic or glass bottles and the guide elements of the system. This can lead to increased surface wear, noise development and undesirable frictional resistance.

An iglidur powder coating can be used as a lubrication-free, low-wear functional coating on metallic components such as guides, slides or separating elements. The tribologically optimised surface provides consistent coefficients of friction and ensures uniform sliding behaviour, even at high cycle rates.

Particularly in sensitive areas of the food and beverage industry, the dry, low-maintenance coating offers advantages over conventional lubrication solutions and contributes to strong, clean process sequences.

More information on powder coating

How the powder coating is processed

The iglidur powder coating is a tribologically optimised coating process for electrically conductive metal surfaces. The coating makes use of electrostatic powder coating. This means the functional polymer powder is electrically charged and adheres evenly to the prepared component surface. This is followed by thermal baking, which creates a closed, wear-resistant plastic layer.

The resulting coating is characterised by a homogeneous layer distribution and very good adhesion. Typical layer thicknesses are in the range of 60 to 120µm. Significantly higher layer thicknesses of up to 500µm can also be achieved, depending on the geometry, material and process parameters. It should be noted that the electrical conductivity of the surface decreases with increasing layer thickness, which can influence the coating process.

Thermoplastic high-performance polymers serve as the basis, which are combined with solid lubricants and functional additives. This results in a maintenance-free, dry-operation surface with optimised friction coefficients and increased wear resistance.

iglidur coating used by our customers

Coating application

PTFE-free and FDA-compliant polymer coating for baking equipment

A system based on iglidur IC-05PF polymer coatings was developed for the automated transfer of dough trays in bakeries. These specially coated racks minimise wear on the sheet metal surfaces. They also reduce noise and are self-lubricating, which means they fulfil the strict hygiene requirements of the food industry.

  • More on the application
    • Coating application

    Fewer breakdowns and rejects in confectionery conveyor system

    In conveyor systems in the confectionery industry, sugary, greasy or sticky products often cause deposits to form in transition and sliding areas. These adhesions impair the product flow, increase the cleaning effort and lead to recurring system downtimes. With the iglidur IC-05 plastic coating, this problem could be easily solved for one of our customers and the process stability significantly improved.

  • More on the application
    • Coating application

    Reduced wear and reduced processing times for packaging machines

    A manufacturer of packaging and processing machines has reduced frictional resistance, improved rigidity, shortened throughput times and increased hygiene standards on a series of machines by applying an iglidur® IC-05 tribo-coating to a sliding carriage.

    Since the 60-100 micrometre thin lubricating coating is FDA approved, contact with food is also no problem in this application. The previous rollers made of uncoated metallic material carried the potential risk of packaging material contamination even though the machine was regularly cleaned.

  • More on the application
    • Venetian blinds

    Coated springs for Venetian blinds with iglidur coating

    For this application, springs were coated with an iglidur coating material and used for guidance of window blinds. The manufacturer was faced with the problem that lubricants did not last over the entire service life of the blinds. So he tested springs with an iglidur IC-02 coating.

    Although the springs touched the aluminium housing in the test, the coated spring survived the housing. In addition, there was no noise generation by the springs in the test. Thanks to the coating, the use of grease can now be completely eliminated.

    Pole

    Plates for pole mounting with iglidur IC-02 coating

    Until now, wear pads made of aluminium and a POM material have been used in this application to prevent the wear of two metal components. Now this customer relies on wear pads coated with iglidur IC-02 high-performance polymers.

    To ensure that the coated plates withstand the extreme environmental conditions, they have been tested in practice with sand, water and high and low temperatures. The result: the ambient conditions are no problem and the metal components do not wear out.

    Armrest

    Adjustable office chair armrest with iglidur IC-02 coating

    A manufacturer of office chairs used to use components made of a POM material for the armrests. Since the friction of this material was too high, he decided on an alternative from igus: moulded aluminium linear guides combined with sliding elements made of iglidur J massively reduced the friction. Previously, the aluminium channels were coated with a clear PTFE paint, which was both expensive and involved a long lead time.

    Now the components are coated directly with IC-02 and no subsequent painting is required. The same contractor coats the inside with IC-02 and then paints the outside for a better look.

    Coating application

    Further application examples with iglidur coatings

  • Application overview

    • Have the component coated

    Component is coated with iglidur material

    With the iglidur coating designer, you can have your customised component coated by us in just a few steps. Simply upload your CAD, receive an immediate price quote and enquire or order.

    Go to the iglidur coating designer

    Order powder and coat yourself

    iglidur coating powder

    Order iglidur powder for plastic coating directly in our online shop and coat your components yourself. Various coating materials and container sizes are available.

    Buy coating powder in the online shop

    Consulting

    I look forward to answering your questions

    igus® (Pty) Ltd. +27 11 312 1848Write e-mail

    Shipping and consultation

    In person:

    Monday to Friday from 7 am - 8 pm.
    Saturdays from 8 am- 12 pm.


    Online:
    24h

    WhatsApp-Service:
    Montag – Freitag: 8 – 16 Uhr