Find the right plain bearing even faster

Enter dimensions, determine application parameters, find plain bearings: the new Igus online shop for polymer plain bearings now works that easily. Regardless of whether it is a catalog part or a special bearing, the customer receives a transparent overview of all plain bearings that are suitable for their application. Practical filters such as price, delivery time and service life help with the selection. Technical drawings and CAD data are available to download free of charge.

With the Iglidur bearing hub, Igus presents its web shop for plain bearings with a new, easy-to-use interface and unique functions. Similar to online trading for tools or fashion, customers can now quickly find the right plain bearings for their application on a modern user interface. But in addition to the revised operation, the new web shop also has completely new functions.

Igus has been offering several online tools for several years. This includes calculating the service life of components to make material selection easier, or determining the cheapest or fastest manufacturing option for custom-made products with price and delivery time. The new shop now combines a catalog, web shop and calculation program in one. This means the customer will quickly find the cheapest plain bearing for their application that works. Instead of clicking through the over 50 different Iglidur materials, the user can now simply enter the known dimensions and operating conditions of their desired plain bearing. In a matter of seconds, the shop displays all suitable products including lifespan, price and delivery time. The more requirements the plain bearing has to meet, such as FDA conformity, operating temperatures or loads, the more selective the selection becomes.

If the entries do not match the existing dimension program, prices and delivery times for custom-made products in the desired material are calculated in real time. “With the new Igus web shop for Iglidur plain bearings, we are setting another milestone in the digitalization of our services,” says Lars Butenschön, Product Marketing Manager Iglidur at Igus GmbH. “Our goal is to make the procurement process as simple and efficient as possible for our customers.”

Joint development with customers: success for both sides

A four-person IT team with interdisciplinary employees from other teams developed the web shop for over a year. The customers of the motion plastics specialist were involved right from the start. “The workshops with customers and our experiences have shown that designers and application developers are primarily looking for existing standards. The core requirements are different for each case. Sometimes a single dimension such as the inside diameter is fixed and the rest is optional, in other cases the catalog of requirements is so specific that a standard plain bearing does not fit, but a custom-made product is required,” explains Butenschön.

Therefore, special shapes can now also be ordered directly via the new web shop. These can be special parts from the FastLine injection molding service, turned parts from semi-finished products or even special parts from 3D printing. The online shop has been live since the end of last year and is also used by the technical Igus sales consultants in the field. “The feedback from our customers and colleagues shows us that the user interface is convincing and that the selection and ordering process are significantly accelerated,” says Butenschön. As an additional service, the web shop provides technical drawings and CAD data for every Iglidur plain bearing. This makes it easier for engineers and buyers to select the optimal bearing for their individual requirements.