Maintenance-free operation in extremely dirty agricultural environments.

Problem: finding components for harsh environments

Application overview- Vineyards

Within vineyards, the soil has a need to be cultivated for wine production, therefore a disc harrow with adjustable width is required. The tool must be designed for tracks of different dimensions. Customisation is required in order for the adjustment to different row widths to work. The two rows of tools are hydraulically pushed against each other.

Requirements for application-

Due to the harsh ambient conditions containing above all a high level of dirt and dust, the individual rows of discs require a particularly efficient sliding bearing. Specifically, the aim was to find a bearing that was maintenance-free, precise, space-saving, very resilient, easy to produce and durable under the tough operating conditions.

Solution: lubrication free linear bearings

The main customer pain points for this application was a smooth running bearing element so two products were introduced, drylin linear bearings and tribo tape.

As the sliding bearing had to be maintenance-free, precise, space-saving, durable and very resilient, the tribo-tape liners were installed directly in the orifices of the machine frame.

The liners made of high-performance plastic is suitable for lining tribologically stressed surfaces and shapes, for optimising transport tasks, for machine beds, as edge protection etc. It can be simply glued to surfaces that slide against each other. This protects them during their movement and saves energy at the same time.

The drylin shafts, on which the respective row of discs is guided and fastened, run in the guidance using a liner. The shafts, which can be made of aluminium, steel or stainless steel, are characterised in particular by their high corrosion resistance and load-bearing capacity.

The reason the application was so successful using igus parts is because of the main key benefits of the components:

✅ Maintenance-free
✅ Lubrication-free
✅ Dirt resistant
✅ Corrosion-resistant
✅ Robust
✅ Predictable service life

The disc harrow is one of many applications to be found in the agricultural industry and there are many more applications that we can help solve reliability and maintenance problems, some of the biggest issues in the Agriculture.