Heat-resistant plastic deep groove ball bearings in pellet stoves

Profile

What was needed?

Ball bearing for the drive mechanism that works permanently despite an adverse environment

Requirements:
High temperature resistance, functionality despite small installation space

Industry:
Furniture construction / industrial design

Success for the customer:
plastic ball bearings guarantee long-term smooth running and minimise downtimes.

The Gravity pellet stove uses a mechanical drive unit to transport wood pellets into the combustion chamber without electricity. In addition to its currentless function, it can be regulated in three stages and stopped immediately without burning the pellets completely. With an efficiency of 80 %, it is the first stove in its class to use this innovative system.

Problem

Both metallic and various polymer plain bearings were not convincing in tests conducted by "Erwin Koppe - Keramische Heizgeräte GmbH". Metallic ball bearings not only seized up too quickly, but were also too noisy in operation. Alternative tests with polymer plain bearings led to excessive friction values, so these were also ruled out. The problem was to find a component that would keep the entire mechanism running despite the very small installation space and would also be durable, temperature-resistant and insensitive to dirt.

Solution

The mechanical drive unit uses two lubrication-free plastic-Kugellager aus dem Werkstoff xirodur® A500 are used in the mechanical drive unit. They ensure that the wood pellets are fed into the combustion chamber via a roller. The biggest advantage is the high temperature resistance of the ball bearing material. Short-term temperatures of up to 150 °C are possible without any problems and the absence of lubricating greases/oils means that nothing can stick inside the shaft. This means that the plastic ball bearings from igus® always guarantee the required smooth running.

ASI Automatikk AS Distributor+47 9006 1100