Rodriguez GmbH, based in Eschweiler near Aachen, is one of the leading suppliers of thin-section, precision and special bearings as well as linear technology for a wide range of industrial sectors. The West German company's portfolio also includes components and systems for the automotive industry. Whether individual machine elements or ready-to-install complete systems, the holistically designed and customer-specific system solutions are always designed to impress with their sophisticated technical properties. The Rodriguez team sees its comprehensive machine park at the Eschweiler site as the cornerstone of its flexibility and a guarantee of consistently high quality. Thanks to in-house production, the high level of development expertise acquired through decades of application experience can be realized quickly and in the desired design. Speaking of development expertise: Rodriguez has now demonstrated this once again - with the self-lubricating plain bearings that were presented a few days ago.

Maintenance-free and durable thanks to Frelon coating

The self-lubricating plain bearings are precision plain bearings made from the aluminum alloy AlMg1 SiCu with Frelon coating. The special surface ensures permanent self-lubrication and thus reduces friction and wear. According to Rodriguez, the robust and dirt-resistant plain bearings are the perfect solution for harsh environments, for example in heavy industry or agricultural operations. In contrast to roller or ball bearings, plain bearings contain no moving parts, have a simpler design and are economical in the long term. They compensate for loads and ensure smooth, reliable and quiet operation. They ensure good damping in the event of shocks and vibrations, as the load is supported over the entire surface.

Wide range of applications

Plain bearings are ideal for applications where a compact, lightweight design is required, for example in automotive engineering or in the woodworking industry. "In principle, self-lubricating plain bearings can be used wherever fine dust occurs, for example in paper and woodworking, but also where no lubricant may generally be used or where a rolling bearing cannot be used due to dirt, temperature or the need for lubrication," explains Timo Hermann, Product Manager Linear Technology and Precision Bearings at Rodriguez. In contrast to external lubrication, the lubricant is an integral part of the bearing material in bearings with self-lubrication and does not have to be applied additionally. The medium is transferred continuously throughout the entire service life of the plain bearing, so there are no maintenance costs.

Self-lubricating plain bearings from the Rodriguez range

Rodriguez offers the rust and corrosion-resistant bearings in open and closed form, in standard sizes (five to 100 millimetres in diameter) and thin-walled compact sizes (six to 50 millimetres in diameter). They are comparatively light, yet wear-resistant and highly resilient and suitable for both very high and very low temperatures. All plain bearings are also available in inch sizes and offer the precision that Rodriguez is known for: all critical surfaces have been ground on precision grinding machines for bearings. Rodriguez also supplies the plain bearings as an assembly together with housing and precision steel shaft, including machining according to drawing. In principle, the Eschweiler-based company is also prepared to manufacture a special bearing from any standard bearing.

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