64% Weight Saved With the World’s First Polymer Telescopic Guide From igus
Kevin Huang | July 22, 2020
New cost-effective drylin telescopic rail made by injection moulding ensures easy extension
The world’s first polymer telescopic rail from igus demonstrates what 100 per cent plastic can do. It is light, quick to assemble and, thanks to injection moulding, cost-effective. With it, amongst other things, drawers, seats and headrests can be easily pulled out and adjusted. For this, igus relies entirely on its durable and wear-resistant high-performance polymers. Available in three colours, the new drylin rail also adapts visually to the respective environment.
In aeroplanes, cars, trains or furniture construction, it is not only the durability of the components that is important, but above all their lightweight property and quickly assembly. This is why igus has now developed a telescopic guide completely made of high-performance polymers. With the drylin NT series, igus already successfully carries telescopic guides made of aluminium and polymer, which glide smoothly and evenly due to the use of tribologically optimised high-performance polymers, in its range. However, every gram counts in seat adjustments or drawers in aircraft and cars. “That’s why we have now developed the first telescopic guide completely made of high-performance polymer. Compared to the drylin NT-35 telescopic rail, it is 64 per cent lighter with the same extension length”, explains Stefan Niermann, drylin Drive Technology Division Manager. “If we replaced metal rails in six drawers each of ten kitchen containers with our new polymer telescopic rails on board an aircraft, the weight of the containers would be reduced by eleven kilograms, saving over 33 tons of fuel in an Airbus A340-400 in 20 years of operation.” Another advantage of the new polymer guide: no rolling balls are used. External lubricants are not necessary. The corrosion-resistant guides are therefore also suitable for use in hygienic areas such as packaging or medical technology.
The right solution for every application
The new polymer telescopic rail has a length of 150 millimetres and can be extended by a further 150 millimetres. Thanks to a snap-on hook system, the guide is quickly and intuitively mounted and ready for installation. The drylin polymer telescopic rail is available in white, light grey and dark grey, allowing it to be adapted to the respective environment. Other colours and extension lengths are available on request. In addition to the new polymer telescopic rail, igus offers its drylin NT telescopic rails with a width of 35 and 60 millimetres for higher loads. They allow a continuous extension of up to 1200 or 2000 millimetres. For the drylin NT telescopic guides, igus relies on guide rails made of hard anodised aluminium, which have a high rigidity.