Schaeffler Plain Bearings

The Right Solution For Every Application

Schaeffler is one of the world’s largest providers of rolling bearings, plain bearings, and linear technology. Leading manufacturers and operators in industry and the automotive sector trust in the quality we provide, as we offer a technically perfect and economical solution for almost every application. INA plain bearings increase the functional reliability of machines and processes. With competent technical advice and a global sales network, we actively contribute to lowering total costs (TCO) for our customers.

Do you have any questions about our solutions or products? Feel free to contact us anytime!

The Schaeffler Group has been producing and selling a variety of high-quality plain bearings under the INA brand for more than 75 years. This includes plain bushings with ELGOGLIDE and ELGOTEX as well as metal-polymer composite plain bearings. In addition, there is the tried and tested range of spherical plain bearings and rod ends, which has been the driving force behind plain bearing technology for decades. Customers not only value the extensive technology portfolio but, first and foremost, our expert advice. Our products are an equally convincing success in both standardized applications and in project-related solutions that we develop in conjunction with our business partners.
Schaeffler plain bearings stand for certified reliability – they are subject to repeated qualifications and optimizations at in-house test laboratories and by external institutions. The result: Quality products and expert application advice from a single source. 

Plain bushings are used in rotating and oscillating motion as well as in short or long stroke linear motion. In the maintenance-free segment, Schaeffler also offers plain bushings with ELGOGLIDE fabric and ELGOTEX filament wound bushings in addition to the metal-polymer composite plain bearings.

Metal/ Polymer Composite Bushings

The composite bushings, which are offered with steel and bronze backings, are available as bushings, flanged bushings, thrust washers, and strips. Designs with a bronze backing have high corrosionresistance, good thermal conductivity, and are antimagnetic. Composite bushings are particularly suitable for applications where minimal friction is required.
 

ELGOTEX Filament Wound Bushings

Bearing positions subjected to heavy loads, e.g in commercial vehicles, conveyor systems, and agricultural machinery, are usually equipped with solid section plain bearings lubricated with grease or oil. ELGOTEX plain bushings are ideally suited to replace bronze or steel bearings requiring maintenance, as they offer environmentally-friendly technology. The filament wound bushings are maintenance-free, corrosion-free and exhibit low wear and low friction.
ELGOTEX-WA bushes are also suitable for under-water applications: they are used in rudder systems, for example, and are certified by Germanischer Lloyd.
 

Maintenance-Free Plain Bushings with ELGOGLIDE

Plain bushings with ELGOGLDE fabric are available in a heavy-duty design. They can support higher forces than conventional plain bushings and can therefore be used to replace steel, bronze, and plastic plain bearings. Thanks to the high-performance sliding layer ELGOGLIDE, our products are extremely durable and are especially suited to small swivel motions. Their particularly low friction values also make them an ideal choice for applications requiring minimal friction. Key areas of application are wind turbines, industrial trucks or cranes.
 

Spherical plain bearings and rod ends from Schaeffler increase the performance of machines and systems, vehicles and devices. Durable and capable of supporting heavy loads, they ensure reliable operation – even in the most demanding conditions.

Spherical Plain Bearings Requiring Maintenance

Spherical plain bearings requiring maintenance comprise a steel/steel or steel/ bronze sliding contact surface. These bearings must be lubricated to prevent metallic contact and thus wear to the bearings.
 

Maintenance-Free Spherical Plain Bearings

Under the ELGOGLIDE brand, we provide high-performance, maintenance-free sliding materials. These are particularly suitable for applications where minimal friction is required. For the small diameter range, we offer maintenance-free spherical plain bearings with a composite material as the sliding material.

Rod Ends

In addition to spherical plain bearings, Schaeffler also offers a wide range of rod ends:

• maintenance-free and requiring maintenance 

• with internal and external thread 

• with corrosion protection 

• with clamping and welding facility
   

With its TS seal, Schaeffler offers the most efficient sealing system for spherical plain bearings. The TS seal was developed specifically for maintenance-free and maintenance-required spherical plain bearings with diameters ranging from d = 25 mm to 140 mm.

A characteristic feature of the TS seal is its triple-lip design. The outer two seal lips keep contamination and moisture away from the bearing. The inner seal lip ensures that in the case of maintenance-free bearings, any abrasion is retained in the bearing. In bearings that require maintenance, the function of the seal is to keep the lubricant inside the bearing. Using spherical plain bearings equipped with the high-performance TS seal enables you to achieve a longer service life in your application.

In close development partnerships with our customers from over 60 industrial sectors, we are constantly developing new solutions which are subsequently offered as catalog products. These are often ready-to-fit components or complete assemblies. The surrounding structure is taken into consideration from the very beginning of the development process so that expensive changes to the adjacent construction are no longer necessary and the overall solution is cost-effective for the customer. A wide range of the Schaeffler Group's technical expertise is incorporated in the development of special solutions, for example: 

• Materials and surfaces:
  If plain bearings are to be used in corrosive media, we work with special materials and our own coatings developed inhouse, such as Corrotect.

• Sealing concepts:
  For heavily contaminated environments, we offer RS/TS seals to complement our plain bearings. 

• Condition monitoring:
  Condition monitoring is a reliable method of detecting system damage at an early stage and avoiding unplanned downtimes. We can help you find the most suitable monitoring solution for your system.

Detailed information on all products can be found in our plain bearing catalog (HG1).