The specialist uses industrial 3D printers to produce individual customer components that are subject to friction and wear within just a few hours. This includes the missing lubricant-free special plain bearing.

A look behind the scenes of Hollywood films almost always shows a floor track on which large camera dollies travel. But what has worked for cinema films for decades is inappropriate for live broadcasts of concerts and sporting events - the view of the audience in the concert hall or stadium would be restricted. Blackcam, a Berlin-based company, is therefore developing a new solution: compact, remote-controlled trolleys that drive the camera along narrow tracks.

These guided tours are becoming increasingly popular in the entertainment industry. Accordingly, Ferenc Tiefenbach, engineer at Blackcam, is often on the road with exhibits at trade fairs. Recently at Düsseldorf Airport: the engineer discovered a defective plain bearing on the prototype of a new motion system for soccer matches, of all things. There was no spare part in his luggage. Tiefenbach called in the 3D printing service from Igus. The company uses high-performance plastics to produce small batches and one-offs using industrial 3D printers within a very short space of time.

New stock ready for collection after just a few hours
Upload the CAD model of the component to the Igus website, select the printing material and order immediately. It is usually dispatched within 24 hours. "In my urgent case, I was able to pick up the stock just a few hours after receiving the order," says Tiefenbach. This meant that the exhibit was ready for use at the trade fair. The costs were also manageable. It cost 96 euros to produce the component.

Igus uses the material Iglidur I180, among others, for 3D printing. This high-performance plastic is characterized by its high abrasion resistance. The Igus test laboratory has demonstrated its superiority over classic filament made from acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) in an experiment. Plain bearings moved on a 0.37 m long, hard-anodized aluminium shaft at a speed of 0.34 m/s and a surface pressure of 0.11 MPa. The result: the 3D-printed bearing made of ABS showed a wear rate of 13.3 µm/km. The rate for the bearing made of I180 was just 0.8 µm/km. The bearings also enable maintenance-free dry running without lubricating oil.