Long-life bearing technology for PV systems

Reliably move solar trackers, permanently installed systems and floating PV without maintenance

Strong UV radiation, heat, wind, dust: PV systems have to function under extreme environmental conditions. With over 18 years of experience in the solar sector, we offer standard and customised solutions that meet precisely these requirements. Our spherical plain, plain and linear bearings made of high-performance polymers are successfully used, for example, in tracked PV tracker systems, fixed mounting systems, floating photovoltaic systems and cleaning systems.

The advantages of our bearing:

UV-resistant, lubrication- and maintenance-free
Low-noise operation without torque fluctuations
Lowest friction coefficients thanks to tribo-optimised plastic
Suitable for tight installation spaces
Insensitive to dirt and dust
High, predictable service life
Low costs

Tracker system, fixed mounting, floating PV and cleaning system

Order the sample box free of charge

Convince yourself of the quality of our products and test our maintenance-free polymer bearing for PV technology. The box contains: a split igubal® pillow block bearing for square profiles, a half-shell for solar trackers, a flange bearing, a rod end and three different plain bearings.

Order now!

Download white paper

25 years of service life in dust, heat and UV radiation, in the best case without failures and with minimised maintenance requirements: In this white paper you can read about the requirements placed on the bearings of single-axis solar trackers and the solutions we offer for this.

Download and read now

Top products for photovoltaic systems

NEW: pillow block bearing igubal® ESQM 2.0

More fun with the sun! With our ESQM 2.0, we are taking our tried-and-tested pillow block bearing for tracking solar modules to the next level and making it even more robust, compact and easy to install:

3 times higher UV resistance thanks to optimised housing and spherical cap material
20 mm lower installation height thanks to sheet metal bracket on the upper part of the housing
Recesses for cable guidance along the profile
Easier installation thanks to U-alignment of the spherical ball and pins on the lower housing that prevent the bearing from slipping away
Static radial load: at 0° angle compensation = 50 kN; at 9° = 25 kN

Find out more about the new pillow block bearing

UV pillow block bearings for photovoltaics

Extra UV-resistant materials

With solarmid we have developed a housing material and with iglidur ® P UV a spherical ball material for the solar industry, particularly suitable for 2P tracker applications where the bearings have to withstand direct sunlight for hours on end. In real-life tests, the materials impress with their particularly high UV resistance.

Are you interested and want to test the materials in your application? Then get in touch with us!

Learn more about the materials

igubal pillow block bearings ESQM in solar plants

Split pillow block bearing for square profiles - our classic design

Split design of housing and spherical ball
Compensation of misalignments
Simple assembly and disassembly
For long service life at high loads

More about the igubal pillow block bearing igubal ESQM

igubal metal rod end bearing KARM in solar plant

Metal rod end with male thread

For rotating, oscillating and linear movements
Suitable for long-term use at temperatures from -40 to +90 °C
Insensitive to dirt, dust and moisture
Maintenance-free dry operation

More information about igubal KARM rod end

drylin lead screw nut in photovoltaic tracker

Dry-running lead screw technology

Lubrication and maintenance-free
Insensitive to dirt, dust and moisture
Low coefficient of friction - low wear rates
Temperature-resistant
Various shapes

More about drylin lead screw technology

slewing ring ball bearing, slewing ring

With sliding elements made of wear-resistant high-performance plastic
100 % lubrication and maintenance-free
Insensitive to dirt and moisture
Rings made of anodised aluminium or stainless steel

More about iglidur PRT slewing rings

igubal flange mounted bearing EFOM with two mounting holes

Flange bearing with 2 fixing holes

Compensation of misalignments
Absolutely corrosion-free
Very low weight
Maintenance-free dry operation

More about the igubal flange mounted bearing EFOM

Rods and plates made of iglidur bar stock

plastic-bar stock

100% maintenance and lubrication-free
Outstanding wear resistance
Resistant to dirt, dust and moisture
No minimum order value, no minimum order quantity

More about iglidur bar stock

Solar pillow block bearings impress in laboratory test

igubal® pillow block bearings for solar modules were tested for their service life, wear resistance and load capacity under the real load of daily movement, simulated over time, in the in-house 3,800 square metre igus® test laboratory.

The number of movements achieved under a load of 1.5 tonnes corresponded to a service life of 72 years.

Successfully in use

PV tracking system from Axiom Research Labs

Reliable tracking with igubal® pillow block bearings
To ensure that the daily tracking movement of the solar units works perfectly, the Indian company Axiom Research Labs relies on our robust igubal ® ESQM pillow block bearings - a "fit-and-forget" solution, because they are maintenance-free over their entire service life of 25 years.

Learn more about this application

Durable in all weathers: plain bearings in the PV tracker
Tracking systems from TecnoSun Solar Systems score with cost efficiency thanks to low installation height. iglidur ® P bearings are used in the traction ring. They defy all weather conditions, are insensitive to dirt and withstand high loads caused by snow masses without any problems.

Learn more about this application

Clean storage solutions for solar surface cleaning device
The remote-controlled cleaner from TG hyLIFT removes fine dust, bird droppings and lichen from solar surfaces. Media-resistant iglidur® P plain bearings are used in the wheels and self-adjusting igubal ® flange bearings are used in the rotating brush, which work without any problems with prolonged contact with water and cleaning agents.

Learn more about this application

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