Quick replacement of defective plain bearings: 3D printing service for wear-resistant parts

Profile

• What was needed: plain bearing for remote-controlled camera dolly
• Manufacturing process: igus® 3D printing service 
• Requirements: quick availability, wear-resistant, cost-effective
• Material: iglidur® I180
• Branch of industry: camera motion systems
• Success for the customer: Spare part delivered the same day

Thanks to the 3D printing service, the customer received his special part after just a few hours.

Problem

A look behind the scenes of any Hollywood film set will almost always reveal a track on which the large camera dolly moves. But what has worked well for decades for filming movies is not suitable for live broadcasts, as these camera dolly systems can restrict the audience's view at concerts and sports events. Blackcam, a Berlin-based company, is therefore developing a new solution: compact, remote-controlled dolly systems that move the camera over narrow rails. These types of dolly systems are becoming increasingly popular in the entertainment industry. Ferenc Tiefenbach, an engineer at Blackcam, is often on the road with exhibits at trade shows. While travelling through Düsseldorf Airport, the engineer was carrying the prototype of a new dolly system developed for football matches when he noticed one of the plain bearings was defective. He did not have a spare part with him. So what to do? Tiefenbach opted for our 3D printing service. Because we use high-performance plastics to produce small volumes and one-offs with industrial 3D printers within a very short time.

Solution

Upload the CAD model of the part to the igus® website, select printing material, for example iglidur® i180, a highly wear-resistant, high-performance plastic, and order it immediately. The part is shipped usually within 24 hours. In the urgent case of Ferenc Tiefenbach, the bearing could be picked up a few hours after the order was placed. Thus the exhibit was once again ready for the trade show. Ferenc Tiefenbach is convinced: "It is remarkable that igus is able to manufacture a single component so quickly, despite the size of the company." The costs are also reasonable. The component cost 96 euros.
Among other things, we use the material iglidur i180 for 3D printing. The high-performance plastic is impressive with its high wear resistance. Its superiority over the classic filament made of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) has been proven in experiments in igus® test laboratory. Plain bearings moved on a 0.37-metre-long, hard anodised aluminium shaft at a speed of 0.34 metres per second and a surface pressure of 0.11 MPa. The result: The 3D-printed bearing made of ABS showed a wear rate of 13.3 micrometres per kilometre. For the bearing made of iglidur i180 over the same distance, the wear was only 0.8 micrometres. However, the bearings are not only more durable, they are also more economical in operation. They enable maintenance-free dry operation without the need for lubricating oil. Thus, they are the ideal candidates for the camera dolly systems from Blackcam.