Intelligent Plain Bearing

Germany-based company igus announced that it has developed the world’s first intelligent plain bearing, made from a high-performance plastic that warns of failure. The body of the smart iglide plain bearing consists of two components: The internal, lubrication-free iglide material and an outer hard polymer shell that protects the bearing. To measure the amount of wear, an intelligent sensor is used between the two components. Sensor data can either be integrated by the machine to set off a warning light or sent directly to a control system. After analysis, the system can pass the data on to a customized web interface via the icom communication module.
www.igus.com