igus products without PTFE

As a manufacturer of industrial components made from high-performance polymers, we use a wide variety of materials. PTFE, for example, ensures low-friction dry operation and makes the use of lubricants superfluous. Thanks to the superordinate PFAS, some of our plastics become more robust and more resistant to wear, weathering, chemicals and extreme temperatures. However, PTFE and PFAS are considered "forever chemicals", as both are difficult to degrade in the environment and have a long service life. Substances of this type can be harmful to the environment, humans and animals, which is why the EU is currently looking into regulating or banning PFAS.

However, our development department has been working on alternatives to PTFE for some time now. Thanks to new formulations, extensive testing and adapted production processes, we now have a wide range of materials and products in our portfolio that do not contain PTFE - such as the material iglidur JPF, which was named Product of the Year 2025 by Kunststoff Magazin. We are still carrying out research to find suitable substitutes for materials with PTFE. Below we present our solutions and provide you with further details and background information on these materials and our products.

With in-house development and own test laboratory for PTFE and PFAS alternatives

From the development department: Major progress with PFAS and PTFE

How far has igus progressed with the topic of PFAS and PTFE?

Magnus Orth: "We are continuing to develop PTFE-free alternatives to our most successful PTFE-containing materials at full speed. The main focus is on expanding our top five plain bearing materials to include variants without the fluorine-containing additive. The aim is for the PTFE-free versions to have the same or better specifications than the PTFE-containing originals. In 2024, we already introduced the materials iglidur JPF and iglidur WPF. These are PTFE-free versions of the very versatile and proven iglidur J, as well as iglidur W300, which is optimised primarily for somewhat higher loads and wear requirements. We have also developed a formulation for a PTFE-free iglidur F. Now, just in time for Hannover Messe 2025, we can announce a major breakthrough. We have finalised PTFE-free versions of the most successful iglidur material - iglidur G - and we can now also offer the high-temperature standard iglidur X in the PTFE-free version. We also offer iglidur HPF, a variant specifically for use in liquid media."

What was the biggest challenge during development?

Magnus Orth: "Especially for the widely used iglidur materials, it is very difficult to ensure that the products offer the same performance in practice as the PTFE-containing versions. As these are used in an extremely wide range of applications with very different requirement profiles and the design of plain bearings - if it is to be truly accurate - is based on a great deal of experience and empiricism and is difficult to simulate theoretically due to the many influencing factors, the testing effort is considerable. Our well-equipped wear laboratory and our experience help us with this. PTFE really comes into its own when it comes to chemicals and temperature-resistant bearings. It is not easy to find materials with similar specifications. Nevertheless, we have succeeded."

Which applications or users in particular benefit from the new PTFE-free plain bearing materials?

Magnus Orth: "The range is wide. Many manufacturers are currently looking for products that work without PTFE or even completely without PFAS. In addition to these aspects, resistance to corrosive cleaning agents or high temperatures are also important in food processing. In the automotive sector, meanwhile, there is particularly high price pressure and in consumer products such as electrical appliances and the like, many other factors often play a role. With now almost 30 plain bearing materials without PTFE and over 40 materials in which we can already exclude the 100 PFAS that are considered critical, we offer a wide range of solutions here."

Background information on PFAS

What is PFAS?

Per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) are industrial chemicals that are used in numerous industrial processes and consumer products due to their special technical specifications. They can be gaseous, liquid or solid and consist mainly of carbon and fluorine atoms. Apart from this, PFAS molecules can have completely different structures, which means that they can have many different specifications. As a group of substances, PFAS comprise many different compounds: More than 4,700 according to the OECD database, more than 9,000 according to the EPA and even more than 10,000 according to the EU Commission, indicating that it is neither a unique nor a constant value - it is mostly based on estimates. With PFAS, a distinction is made between non-polymers and polymers, which in turn are subdivided into further substance groups:

• Non-polymers: In the subgroup of non-polymers, the compounds perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) are the best studied. Like many PFAS, these two compounds are also difficult to break down and are now detectable in the environment, in the food chain and in humans. PFOA and PFOS have a proven negative impact on health. Together with PFHxs and PFNA, they account for 90% of the current PFAS load.
• Polymers: The subgroup of polymers includes fluoropolymers. Fluoropolymers consist of a carbon chain with directly attached fluorine atoms. This makes them so strong that they cannot decompose into toxic substances. The only danger is the possible use of toxic additives during production in the form of emulsifiers. Fluoropolymers are used, for example, in coatings, seals and cable insulation. Fluoropolymers include polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) among other substances.

What is the current legal situation regarding PFAS? (as of 20.04.2023)

EU: The use of PFOS has been largely banned since 2006 and that of PFOA since July 2020 - you can find our confirmation here. Five European countries (Germany, Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Norway) have submitted a proposal for the general restriction of PFAS, which was published by the ECHA (European Chemicals Agency) on 7 February 2023. This proposal is a first step in a long regulatory process and will be reviewed by all stakeholders. The first phase of consultation by all stakeholders ran from 22 March 2023 to 22 September 2023. The proposed PFAS regulation would probably come into force in EU member states in 2026 at the earliest. Possible transition periods of up to 13 years are possible from the date of entry into force.

USA: The EPA has issued a final rule adding five PFAS substances to the list of over 170 PFAS substances. These are reportable under the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI), a centralised database for public reporting of chemicals. Fluoropolymers are not included in the TRI list.

* The products were tested for the 96 PFAS substances considered critical for the environment and health according to the SQP M1227 test method (LC-MS/MS and GC-MS) and do not contain any substances >0.1% by mass. Substances from the group of fluoropolymers are excluded as products are not tested for them.