Northampton-based Igus, a leading manufacturer of energy chain systems and polymer plain bearings, has expanded its 3-D printing service to incorporate injection moulding with 3-D printed tools.
Many designers in the industrial sector use wear-resistant plastic parts wherever there is friction between two surfaces, so Igus has integrated its Print2Mould process into its on-line 3-D printing service.
The user simply uploads the STEP file of the part (
www.igus.co.uk/iglidur-designer), selects the material and requests a quotation.
The material properties are all listed, as well as the price and other details.
One advantage of using this service is that the designer can select from any of the 55 Iglidur materials available.
These include materials suitable for use in the food industry, in the automotive sector and in high-temperature applications.
In addition to the materials used in the Print2Mould process, the designer can 3-D print their part using the SLS process in Iglidur I3 or Iglidur I6 or using the FDM process with Iglidur filaments.