The champagne corks are popping in Portugal, more precisely at the Institute of Astrophysics and Space Sciences at the University of Lisbon. The researchers won the golden vector award 2024 for their MOONS spectrograph. Every two years, igus honours the most spectacular energy chain applications with this award – this year among 328 entries from 37 countries. The silver vector goes to the company TDK RF Solutions, which has developed a test rig for driver assistance systems, the bronze vector to MECAoctet for their movable nightclub ceiling. Bear Machines GmbH was delighted to receive the green vector for particularly sustainable energy chain applications for a machine that automatically recuts tyres.
With the new slewing ring bearing made of WPC (wood-plastic composite), igus is taking another step forward in the integration of renewable raw materials in industrial production. By using 50 per cent wood and 50 per cent high-performance plastics, customers receive a cost-effective and lubrication-free slewing ring bearing. It strikes a good balance between strength, durability and environmental friendliness with a proven low CO2 footprint.
Lubricants are as much a part of everyday industrial life as a cup of coffee every morning. And they amount to $240 billion a year across the globe. At the same time, machine downtime worth $750 billion per year is caused by inadequate lubrication. igus now combines 60 years of motion plastics expertise with hundreds of thousands of test data and millions of applications in an AI that immediately takes users to lubrication-free movements in their systems. From excavators and agricultural tractors to water turbines, everything has already been successfully tried and tested. A study by RWTH Aachen University demonstrates the explosive nature of the topic. At the Hannover Messe, the plastics specialist is presenting 247 new products, showing that everybody can achieve “zero lubrication”.
For cable guidance in drawers and pull-outs of all kinds, igus is launching the draw e-chain. Thanks to the minimalist design, the price of the compact energy chain is 30 per cent lower than the most cost-effective standard e-chains. This protects against expensive oversizing, especially if the application is only moved a little.
It’s done: after a long period of development work, the igus:bike, a bicycle made of 92 per cent plastic with a high share of recycled content, has gone into series production. The Dutch development partner MTRL is currently producing the first 100 units together with igus. At the same time, the plastics specialist is building its own production line at the Cologne site to increase production capacity to 10,000 units over the next two years. This brings the companies one step closer to their sustainability vision of transferring plastic waste to a circular economy and using it for the urban mobility of the future.