Maintenance free igubal pillow block bearings for solar panels

By OEM Update Editorial May 7, 2021 5:47 pm IST

Extended igus solar pillow block bearing series for square profiles, impresses in laboratory tests with a service life of over 72 years.

Igus has developed the igubal ESQM pillow block bearing specifically for mounting the modules on square profiles and has now expanded it with two additional dimensions. Plant operators worldwide receive a lubrication-free solution, resistant to dust and dirt, whose durability has been tested in the laboratory and is guaranteed for 25 years. This will enable solar panels to generate energy efficiently, solar park operators rely on movable modules that automatically align themselves to the position of the sun and thus ensure a high energy yield.

One economy that is currently booming is the photovoltaic industry. In the first half of 2020 alone, 20 percent more plants were put into operation in Germany than in 2019. This is shown by the figures of the Federal Association for the German Solar Industry. Solar energy is not only used in Germany, but worldwide. In Spain, photovoltaic systems account for 19 percent of electricity generation. Plant manufacturers of such photovoltaic fields are facing increasing competition and cost pressure. The electricity production costs should be very low and the utilisation of the modules very high. To this end, more and more operators are turning to bifacial modules that capture the incident light not only via the front but also via the back of the module.

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The igubal bearing consists of a polymer housing made of igumid G and a spherical ball made of iglidur J4. The tribo-polymers ensure that the bearing is UV-resistant and corrosion-free. In addition, the pillow block bearing is completely lubrication-free, which makes it insensitive to dust and dirt and maintenance-free. At the same time, it easily compensates for misalignments, caused by an uneven surface, for example. In the company’s own 3,800 square metre test laboratory, the service life, wear resistance and load capacity were examined under real loads of the daily motion sequence, simulated in a time-lapse. The number of movements achieved under a load of 1.5 tons corresponds to a service life of 72 years. This is why igus guarantees a runtime of 25 years, which corresponds to the standard service life of a solar module.

For more details, visit: https://www.igus.eu/info/