Nowadays, it is impossible to imagine the food industry without automated systems. But what happens if a bottle falls over in the filling line or a packet soup gets wedged in the parts chute and tears open? Scenarios that lead to unplanned plant shutdown, cost time and money. Moving machine components with low coefficient of friction are in demand here. In order to give guide plates, metallic slides or even parts with complex geometries a high wear resistance, igus has now developed a new coating material especially for use in food technology. The high-performance IC-05 polymer complies with FDA requirements and EU10/2011 regulations and is therefore ideally suited for contact with food. Its blue colour makes it optically detectable. The material significantly reduces the coefficient of friction of the coated parts and increases the service life and availability of the equipment. It also improves product safety and reduces costs. Lubricants can be dispensed with completely. The powder material can either be sprayed onto the desired components by the user or by igus. Layer thicknesses of 60 to 120 µm are possible. The coating is a good solution for places where there is no space for a plain bearing to do its job.
Laboratory test reveals four times longer service life
igus tested the durability of the coated parts in its own 3,800 square metre laboratory in Cologne. Here, a part coated with IC-05 was compared with an identical part coated with the standard material IC-01 in various test set-ups. The FDA-compliant component impressed with a four times longer service life. In addition to IC-05, igus offers five other coating materials, for example, for applications in the high-temperature range or with high chemical resistance.
