Sowing machine: Wear-free and maintenance-free

• What was needed: thrust washer made of the material iglidur G
• Requirements: the company was looking for a bearing that would work under high dust levels and strong vibrations with a long service life and as little maintenance as possible.
• Industry: agriculture
• Success for the customer: the thrust washer made of iglidur G represents a more durable alternative to the bronze spacer disc used in the past. It does not require any lubrication and is therefore completely maintenance-free. The high volume of dust in the fields is no longer a problem for the electric coupling today.

The sowing discs over which the seed is spread must always function perfectly in this sowing machine. A total of 48 couplings in the sowing machine are responsible for this, which can separate the gearbox from the seed plate of the planter. It operates on a rotating shaft under dust and vibration conditions. The coupling is assembled on each sowing row of a planter for maize, soya and sunflowers.
Due to the difficult working conditions, however, the problem arises that the electric coupling does not always function properly. To solve this, the responsible people opted for a bronze spacer disc. However, this proved to be only a vulnerable and short-term solution.

Due to the problems with the electrical coupling, the designers decided to use a thrust washer made of the material iglidur G.This polymer disc (specifically, a GTM2238 thrust washer) solves the problem of coupling blockage and thus the wear of the spacer inside the coupling. Unlike the bronze spacer disc, this is a long-term solution as it does not require any lubrication and is therefore completely maintenance-free. The high volume of dust in the fields is no longer a problem for the electric coupling.