igus® develops new PTFE-free, lubrication-free plain bearing material

What do dental floss, skis, a frying pan and plain bearings have in common? They all rely on organic fluorine compounds, also known as PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, which are resistant to water, heat and debris. However, since the chemicals degrade very slowly, they have a negative reputation and are considered persistent pollutants that may be harmful to the environment. 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, as many everyday products use PFAS. Many industrial companies – including igus® – are already preparing for stricter PFAS regulations, because PFAS, especially the popular fluoropolymer PTFE (a subgroup of PFAS), is used in igus® motion plastics which are low-friction and dry running, making the use of lubricants – that can be costly and cause environmental damage – superfluous.

igus focuses on the development of PFAS-free materials

“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’ huge 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.”