Posted to News on 8th Apr 2006, 00:00
Food friendly bearings
Easiweigh is one of the UK"s leading manufacturers of automatic weighing equipment. The company discovered it needed to source a new bearings manufacturer, because cleaning agents were causing metallic rod ends on a pneumatic cylinder to fail. Corrosion resistant polymer rod ends from Igus were selected as the ideal replacement. Machines manufactured by Easiweigh are designed to accurately weight products prior to packaging. The machines are also designed to be easily cleaned and maintained. The company uses lubrication-free Igubal rod end bearings on a pneumatic cylinder, used to open and close lids on a pan used for weighing a variety of foodstuffs.
Easiweigh had previously used sintered bearings in a steel rod end. However, the company hit problems when it discovered aggressive cleaning fluids caused the bearings to corrode. In contrast, Igus KBRM style rod ends were found to be resistant to both corrosion and chemical attack. They also helped solve the alignment problems encountered with the sintered bearings. Matthew Aldridge, director of Igus UK"s bearings division, says: "The all polymer rod ends combine long and predictable life with a low unit cost, which dovetails perfectly with the requirements of Easiweigh."
