For smooth adjustments

Wherever people operate doors or other moving elements manually on a daily basis, minimal operating forces, quiet operation, and maintenance-free operation are crucial – especially in light of the new EU Accessibility Strengthening Directive and the increasing automation of everyday life. With the new drylin C roller guide, Igus has developed a system that offers superior running characteristics and relies on completely lubrication-free running surfaces. Three rollers made of high-performance plastic enable smooth manual adjustments, for example, in machine and interior design or at self-service terminals in airports or supermarkets.

The new Accessibility Strengthening Directive places a clear mandate on companies: products and services must be accessible to everyone. Many barriers arise unintentionally, but rather due to a lack of suitable technical solutions. Anyone who has ever struggled with a stuck sliding door knows the problem. With drylin C, Igus is launching the first roller guide on the market that utilizes a third, adjustable roller, thus enabling smooth and precise adjustments with minimal operating forces. It can be used wherever doors and covers need to be moved reliably, quietly, and easily – from automated toilet systems in trains to safety doors on machine tools.

Three high-performance plastic rollers for smooth, lubrication-free operation

In addition to two parallel rollers, the drylin C roller guide uses a third roller that can be adjusted with a setscrew to eliminate any play. Unlike conventional roller guides, the drylin C linear guide uses high-performance plastic rollers that run with exceptionally low noise and vibration. Rotation is achieved via a ball bearing, which, in combination with the roller diameter, enables an extremely low coefficient of friction of µ = 0.05. The rollers ensure minimal operating and sliding forces for loads up to 20 kg per carriage. At the same time, they are shock-resistant, robust, and allow for completely lubrication-free running surfaces. "Other suppliers use metal rollers and therefore have a lubricating film inside the track," explains Michael Hornung, Product Manager for drylin Linear and Drive Technology at Igus.

Other manufacturers use metal rollers, which means there is a lubricating film inside the track. The compact aluminum rails (30 mm wide, 30 mm high) are anodized in silver or black and are characterized by their low weight combined with high stability. Die-cast zinc carriages make the roller guide particularly cost-effective. The entire guide rail operates without lubrication, as there is no metal-to-metal contact, and can therefore also be used in hygiene-sensitive environments. The lubrication-free design eliminates the need for regular maintenance intervals and increases reliability in daily operation. Furthermore, the drylin C roller guide offers numerous options such as end stoppers, mounting brackets, and wipers.

Curved profiles for greater design freedom

A special feature of the drylin C roller guide is that igus can realize virtually any bending radius from 500 mm upwards. This makes the series ideal for manual adjustments, for example, of safety doors on machine tools, doors and sliding solutions in ships and yachts, as well as adjustments of monitors, displays, and projection screens. The roller guide also offers diverse applications in the mobility sector, for example in accessible toilet systems on trains, which are often equipped with curved sliding doors due to space constraints.

"We can bend a radius as small as 500 mm and use the roller guide to navigate that radius. This allows the profiles to be optimally adapted to structural conditions," says Michael Hornung. "Furthermore, the door drives in trains or airplanes are often not designed to accommodate a large, powerful motor," Hornung adds. With the drylin C roller guide, Igus provides a solution that, thanks to its smooth running characteristics, not only protects the motor but also operates quietly and dry – ensuring a pleasant and accessible user experience.