igus increases the pace of innovation despite the pandemic: high investments in digitalisation, logistics and remote consulting increased online sales by 30 per cent in 2020 and mitigated the decline in sales by 4.8 per cent. The motion plastics specialist is also breaking new ground in terms of sustainability and product innovation, and will be presenting more innovations than ever before with 168 tribo-polymer products in spring 2021.
So that users can get their wear-resistant knife edge roller even faster, igus has expanded its online shop to include the range of iglidur rollers made from high-performance polymers. Included in the new range are knife edge rollers made of the blue material iglidur A250. The new tribo-polymer is particularly characterised by its wear resistance at high belt speeds and fulfils the requirements of FDA and EU conformity at the same time.
Sailboats that lift themselves completely out of the water as if by magic. Sounds like a dream, but it is reality. The iFLY15 sports catamaran from CEC Catamarans GmbH lets the sailor fly over the water. For the automatic flight control system, the developers relied on the lubrication-free, lightweight and corrosion-free igus plain bearing technology. An innovative project that won the silver manus award in 2019. The winners of this year’s award for the best plain bearing technology application were chosen by the jury from over 580 entries on 9 March 2021.
To manufacture wear-resistant parts in special dimensions quickly and cost-effectively, igus has now developed a new, easy-to-machine all-rounder filament: iglidur I190. It is remarkable for its great mechanical flexural strength (80 MPa). The tribologically optimised material requires no lubrication or maintenance and can be used with all commercially available 3D printers with heated printing plates.
When booms for solar panels or satellite antennas are transported into space in a launch vehicle, they are exposed to high loads. To simplify the complex transport and speed up the production of the elements, the AIMIS-FYT student team is working on a 3D printing process. In the future, it should be possible to produce structural parts in outer space. To conduct experimental tests in zero gravity, the students built a 3D printer. For the drive technology supported by igus, they relied on the maintenance-free and lightweight drylin SAW linear axes.