igus is expanding the scope of its 3D printing service: Chemical-resistant, lubrication-free tribo-polymer components can be manufactured using selective laser sintering (SLS). This evolutionary step is made possible by a new printing material for laser sintering printers: iglidur I10 is resistant to acids, bases, alcohols as well as greases and is therefore suitable for use in electroplating and food processing plants.
Articulated arm robots can travel over six metres, quadrupling their working space: the 7th axis offered by igus for this job is now compatible with all lightweight articulated arm robots worldwide thanks to a simple Plug & Play kit. So far, models from Universal Robots, Epson and the robolink series from igus have benefited from this increased mobility. Now Omron, Franka Emika, Doosan, Yuanda Robotics and many other lightweight robotics suppliers are joining the list.
As the world’s first manufacturer, igus has received UL AWM certification from the well-known US organization Underwriters Laboratories (UL) for its high-end TPE cables that do not use fire-retardant halogens as additives. This is the first time that the testing organisation has recognised that halogen-free TPE cables can also meet the fire protection requirements in industry.
Smart monitoring of igus bus and data cables goes into the next round: the latest generation of i.Sense CF.D monitoring sensors checks the electrical condition of chainflex cables in e-chain systems – without contact and without intervention in the existing harnessing. This allows real-time monitoring without any extra cores and, in combination with the new i.Cee: plus II evaluation module, allows even more efficient predictive maintenance for protection against expensive system failures.
The time-consuming cleaning of machines leads to longer and expensive downtimes in many companies in the food industry. To reduce this effort, igus is now launching a ready-to-connect toothed belt axis on the market, which is constructed according to the guidelines of hygienic design. It relies on FDA-compliant materials and the advantages of the lubrication-free and maintenance-free high-performance plastics from the motion plastics specialist.