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• What was needed? xiros deep groove ball bearings made from the material xirodur C160; igubal pillow block bearings
• Requirements: Use under cleanroom conditions: lubrication-free, low dust generation, high chemical resistance
• Industry: Cleanroom technology
• Success for the customer: The xiros plastic ball bearings work without lubricants and are therefore maintenance-free. They are also permanently resistant to chemicals.

Syringe sets are packaged in the insulator in a cleanroom environment. The trays are stored on rollers and guided through the insulator. They are supported by lubrication-free xiros ball bearings.

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Problem

The Japanese company Airex Co. Ltd. specialises in the design and construction of cleanroom systems. This also applies to the design of an insulator for sterile packaging of syringe sets. The syringe trays are guided through the insulator on a tilting roller system and can be ejected at the end of the decontamination insulator via a mechanism. Bearing points were sought for both the rollers and the tilting mechanism, which had to fulfil high requirements due to the cleanroom environment. Within the incubator (class A), only bearings that operate without lubricants with low dust generation and have a high chemical resistance can be used. This is the only way to guarantee a long service life even with regular chemical disinfection and sterilisation. At the same time, the bearings must be able to bear high loads without any problems. Together with the up to 80 spray tests, the rack construction can reach a total weight of around 400kg.

Solution

Airex decided to use special xiros deep groove ball bearings made of xirodur C160 material to implement the roller tables in the insulator. The advantage of the ball bearings is their lubrication-free operation due to the material. This ensures maximum cleanliness in the sterile environment. In addition, xirodur C160 is resistant to chemicals and can be used at temperatures from 0°C to +60°C. As the material also has low media absorption, it is often used, e.g. in the vacuum in autoclaves. The special bearings are also used in the food industry, electroplating and the semiconductor industry.
In the insulator, the xiros ball bearings are arranged as staggered rollers at regular intervals to allow the syringe sets to slide maintenance-free. To tilt the tables with the syringes, shafts were also installed at the right and left ends of the insulator, which are supported at both ends by two igubal pillow block bearings. Here, too, the material allows permanent use in the cleanroom environment.