Metal rod ends? From igus®? Really?…..

The rumours are true! igus® has released a range of igubal metal rod ends and it has caused quite a stir. It is no secret that igus® advocates polymer over metal, so why release a metal rod end?

The answer is simple. We listened to our customers.

The extensive igubal® range that igus® holds is ever growing, despite the misconception about the strength of polymer over metal. However, there were instances when the polymer range just couldn’t meet the customer requirement for high loads.  So, testing began on combining the tribo- optimised iglidur® material, a stainless-steel rotating ball and a metallic housing to reinforce the part for higher loads. Enter the metal rod end!

Basically, the concept is to create a construction kit which allows the customer to decide which materials best suit their requirements. For example, the housing could be made from either steel, stainless steel or aluminium, the inner ring can be made from any of the 55 main iglidur® materials and the central ball can be made from stainless steel, aluminium or an iglidur® material of the customer’s choice.

Metal rod ends- The same but different

You could be forgiven for thinking that aesthetically the new metal rod ends look like conventional ones, but the small yet significant difference, is the self-lubricating iglidur® polymer ring. This minor detail ensures that the part offers low coefficient of friction and remains wear resistant.

 Having various materials to choose from opens up many more possible applications to use igus® products. The metallic housing has 5 times higher breaking strength than the traditional iglidur® housing material, giving it greater stiffness and yet the typical igus® traits remain: no lubrication required, the sustainability of the product, no minimum order quantity.

In most of the applications where igubal® polymer rod ends are used, there isn’t the necessity for excessive load capacity, however, in industries such as the railway industry, the requirement for high loads, durability, low-cost, low-maintenance and predictability is essential.

These new products were released this year and new tools are being made to produce a large range of sizes, so if you have a size you require please contact us!

For more blogs relating to iglidur® components, visit here.