iglide® R Plastic Bearing Earns Best Product Of The Year Award From Design News Magazine

br> EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. – igus® Inc., announced that the iglide® R plastic bearing earned a 2004 Best Product of the Year award from Design News magazine. The full review is in the Mach 7, 2005 issue of Design News.

Winners of the 2004 Best Product of Year awards were voted on by the publication's readers in an online poll. This year's contest drew a record number of entries in five categories, including electronics, motion control, fluid power, software and hardware. Iglide R was a winner in the motion control category.

Iglide R was introduced in early 2004 as a direct replacement for traditional bronze bearings in a variety of applications. Iglide R is an affordable, maintenance-free alternative to oil-dependent sintered bearings. Iglide R, like all iglide plastic bearings, requires no lubrication, is oil-free and will not corrode.

Iglide R is virtually maintenance-free, incurring no additional costs beyond initial purchase price. Most bronze bearings require regular maintenance, which can significantly increase cost over time. Unlike iglide R, bronze bearings require lubrication such as oil, which can harm the environment. Furthermore, if they do not operate properly they will not lubricate, thereby decreasing the lifespan of the bearing or damaging the machine.

The benefits of using iglide R plastic bearings over bronze bearings include:

• self lubrication and maintenance-free operation lead to lower costs over time;
  
• plastic-based construction eliminates corrosion and delivers better vibration dampening;
  
• plastic can handle edge loading better than bronze; and
  
• plastic can support any type of movement: rotary, oscillating or linear.

About igus
Igus Inc., founded in 1985 and based in East Providence, R.I., develops and manufactures industry-leading plastic cable carriers, continuous-flex cables, plastic bearings and linear guide systems. With more than 28,000 products available from stock, the company meets the motion control and machinery component needs of customers worldwide. Product lines include Energy Chain Systems® to protect and house moving cables, Chainflex® continuous-flex cables, iglide self-lubricating, oil-free, plastic bearings, DryLin® linear guide systems and igubal® spherical bearings. For more information, contact igus at (888) 803-1895 or visit www.igus.com.

Source: igus Inc.