Linear Belt Actuator Fitted With Plain Bearings

One of the central focuses on the igus stand at MACH was its new linear belt actuator, 'DryLin ZLW', which is the first positioning unit to be fitted entirely with plain bearings. It is maintenance free and low weight and designed to position small loads quickly. The sliding elements of this extremely quiet ZLW axis are made from igus' 'iglidur J' polymer, whilst the bearings are made from 'iglidur L250'. The housing parts are made of sturdy polymer and the profile of hard-coated aluminium. All the connecting screws are made of stainless steel. A second version of the ZLW uses ball bearings for the deflection shafts, which makes higher traverse rates possible. Apart from these bearings, this belt drive is also completely maintenance and lubrication-free. A press seminar was held during the MACH show by Matthew Aldridge, bearings product director at igus UK, who said: 'We expect a linear module at this price level to open up big opportunities for igus. We believe that there's not a linear drive system on the market that comes close to this in terms of performance and price.'