Defrosting glaciers and declining fish stocks are just two examples of the effects of climate change in Alaska. In order to raise awareness of the issue among the population and to promote alternative drives, the Hoepner brothers from Berlin are developing their amphibious vehicle “Urmel”. They want to travel across Alaska with it. In order for Urmel to be able to drive over hill and dale and ice and snow, light and wear-resistant bearings are required. With the support of igus, the young inventors opted for lubrication-free iglidur tribo-polymers.
For the bearing of pivoting and rotary applications, igus introduces iglidur J3, a lubrication-free and long-lasting tribo-polymer. The endurance runner convinces, above all, with its proven, very low coefficient of friction. As the yellowish material did not always match the design concept of the user, igus has now further developed the tried-and-tested tribo-polymer into the black iglidur J3B. But igus always has the right material for other applications as well. The intuitively operated iglidur online expert system helps with the selection.
With its advanced chainflex M cable series, igus now proves that quality and low price are not mutually exclusive. After four years of research, the motion cable specialist presented the new control cables CF880/CF881 and CF890/CF891 at SPS. An up to 20 per cent thinner cable structure ensures lower bend radii. This allows the user to save installation space, space inside the energy chain and costs. The chainflex M series has a tested service life of five million cycles and comes with a 36 month guarantee
With specifications such as low coefficient of friction and excellent vibration dampening, the tribo-polymer iglidur E7 has already proven its strengths in the sliding elements of the drylin linear technology from igus. Now the plastics specialist has also included the material in its plain bearings catalogue range. This also allows users to benefit from iglidur E7 mechanisms with rotating or pivoting movements. The low coefficient of friction of the material ensures smooth movements, reduces the required drive energy and saves additional costs.
What happens when a plastic energy chain reaches its maximum service life? Usually, it is simply disposed of and incinerated with other plastic waste. With its “igus green chainge recycling program”, the motion plastics specialist igus is now doing something completely new: users can send their plastic chains to igus for recycling – completely irrespective of the manufacturer. They can eliminate disposal costs and also receive a voucher for making purchases from igus. Customers and the environment both profit from this.