Two Formula Student race cars on the track.

Custom-made component with assistance from the igus 3D printing service

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What was needed: Plastic pinion for engine tuning
Manufacturing process: igus® 3D printing service
Requirements: short delivery time, robustness, wear resistance
Material: iglidur® i6
Industry: Automotive
Success through cooperation: fast special part printing in less than 72 hours with a small quantity, low design effort, turning and milling of the component no longer necessary. The component is also reliable due to its robustness

Inspired by Formula 1, the "Formula Student Germany" design competition pits student teams against each other in open-wheel car races. One of the parts the Formula Student team from Weingarten, near Ravensburg, Germany, needed to construct its race cars was customised plastic pinions for use as chain tensioners in the chain drive. Unfortunately, special-size pinions have long delivery times, and classic production with milling is time-consuming. The igus 3D printing service quickly assisted, producing the plastic pinions in less than 72 hours.

Fast delivery thanks to online configurator and laser sintering procedure

3D-printed plastic gears on a dark surface.

Designers not only save time, as the online configurator makes it easy to design a digital 3D model. The special part is manufactured using the so-called SLS process (selective laser sintering). A coater spreads a wafer-thin layer of plastic powder on a building platform. The printer then uses a laser to melt the powder wherever the component is to be created according to the 3D model. The platform then lowers by one layer thickness and the process begins again. After a few hours, the pinion is printed.Thanks to 3D printing, there is no need for the usual turning and milling with the corresponding drawing department," explains Richy Göser from the Formula Student Team Weingarten.

"Production with the 3D printer is probably also more economical for small quantities."

Robust components made of tribopolymers

Used as a chain tensioner in the motor's chain drive, the pinion must be very robust. Here, too, the iglidur tribo-polymers demonstrate their superiority to ordinary polymers. igus developed the high-performance plastics specifically for dynamic industrial applications. In this case, iglidur i6, which is more resistant to wear than common plastics for laser sintering printing, was used. The material's wear resistance was tested in the in-house test laboratory.The experts tested a worm wheel at 5Nm and 12rpm. The gear made of Polyamide 12, a classic material for laser sintering printing, failed after just 521 cycles due to its high coefficient of friction.iglidur i6, on the other hand, exhibited only minor wear after one million cycles and was fully functional. "Such tests show us that we can count on the material," says Göser. "The previously used ball bearings in the chain drive hardly lasted 20 kilometres, which is not great because our longest race is 22 kilometres. We expect much more robustness from the 3D printed igus pinions in the 2019 season."

SLS material iglidur® i6 buy online

Formula Student race car on the track in front of the grandstand.

SLS material iglidur® i6 buy online

Further application reports

Polymer gears printed in 3D for charging system of electric cars
Easelink, based in Graz, Austria, has developed the "matrix charging" system, which consists of two components. A charging pad is connected to the mains is installed in the parking spot. A connector on the bottom of the e-car drops down when the car is parked over the pad. The charging process starts automatically, without the driver having to connect a cable. Use the igus® 3D printing service to make sure the development of prototypes remains cost-effective whilst ensuring high quality.

Wireless charging pad with a non-slip surface and blue status lights.

Printed in 3D: maintenance-free gripper for the packaging industry
Fast availability at a low price and use under hygienic conditions were important prerequisites for this 3D printed gripper. It is used to package cosmetic products and has the special advantage of working without additional lubrication, hence fulfilling hygienic requirements.

More flexibility through 3D printing

A gripper holds plastic bottles in an automation application.

Printed in 3D: customised plain bearing ready for collection within hours
What do you do when an important replacement part for an exhibit suddenly goes missing on the way to a trade show? The response of the Berlin-based company Blackcam, a manufacturer of camera motion systems, is to turn to the igus 3D printing service.

Cost-effective and available quickly

A camera films a football stadium from the pitch side.

Made of bar stock: special bearings for highest precision in ophthalmology
iglidur® bar stock is used to manufacture a microscope arm for eye examinations. The reason: it can be machined to produce customised plain bearings down to sizes measured in μm to ensure the necessary precision for examinations.

Perfectly fitting plain bearing made of bar stock

Microscope arm with camera head and adjustment knobs.

Made with injection moulding: Big savings in time and cost with iglidur® plain bearings
Up to one hour of daily maintenance and lubrication of the bearings was necessary for this intensive cultivator when Lemken GmbH und Co. KG still used DU bushes. Since plain bearings made of iglidur® high-performance materials from igus® have been in use, lubrication after using the intensive cultivator can be completely dispensed with, as the bearings contain self-lubricating solid lubricants. At the same time, the iglidur® bearings easily withstand the high forces in the overload element of the trade show cultivator.

Agricultural equipment manufacturer relies on iglidur plain bearings

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