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Plastic products have many uses and have become indispensable for everyday life. But when they reach the end of their service life, they often end up in the incinerator. Conserving valuable resources and protecting the environment requires a sustainable plastics industry. The Cologne-based plastics specialist igus is pursuing this conservation goal with its “Chainge” recycling platform. The company has now invested in cirplus, a start-up based in Hamburg. The companies have a joint vision of closing the plastics cycle and initiating a revolution in the trade of recycled materials from technical and standard thermoplastics.
The digital transformation in industry requires new business models for more flexible, efficient production. Technologies such as artificial intelligence and the internet of things are creating new opportunities to address customers with smart products and services. In the spirit of open innovation, igus, the motion plastics specialist, uses ideas from young talent to develop new solutions and has now participated in the first Hackathon by Innovation Hub Bergisches RheinLand e.V. As part of the project, TH Köln students developed concepts for use-based igus smart plastics business models.
Rescuing plastics from incineration and integrating them into a circular economy: the unique “Chainge” program for recycling technical plastics won first place for igus in the “Going Circular” competition held by the Cologne Chamber of Industry and Commerce. The igus:bike, made entirely from recycled plastic, also made it to the finals.
Engineers from igus are now using a simple technology for heat recovery. It heats industrial factories with the waste coolant water from machines, saving on gas costs and CO2 emissions. igus is making the technology available online, with all the details available to other industrial companies. If all injection moulders worldwide were to use the technology, over 14 million tons of CO2 and over seven billion cubic metres of gas could be saved.
A low-cost robot operated via a VR headset. Spare parts identified and ordered in seconds using AI on a smartphone. A mobile app that immediately identifies potential applications for lubrication-free parts on an excavator. igus launches a selection of digital tools in 2023, as well as products and services which are easy to use and reduce cost. The goal: provide easy access to the right motion plastics product and have fun on the way, while being carbon-neutral and without plastic waste.
Beaming faces at J&M Manufacturing: the US company won the golden manus award 2023 at the Hannover Messe 2023. The competition honours creative projects with plastic plain bearings. This year’s winner was able to impress with the sustainable and economical use of lubrication-free polymer bearings in a new type of agricultural implement. The other award winners were also in the mood to celebrate: the French company Aufratech won the silver manus award with an exoskeleton. Fiedler Maschinenbau came in third with a telescopic high-pressure cleaner for municipal vehicles. The German company Rockinger Agriculture GmbH is delighted with the green manus award for its lubrication-free ball coupling.
No time to visit the Hannover Messe 2023? No problem. The motion plastics specialist is offering the so-called Remote Scout Service for the first time this year. The igus experts equipped with data glasses show visitors live the new products that are of interest to them in individual online tours.
Designing, constructing and programming: that’s what the Smart Green Island Makeathon on Gran Canaria was all about. It was recently held for the sixth time, organised by ITQ GmbH. The prototyping event brings students, universities and companies from all over the world together to develop the innovative, sustainable technologies of tomorrow. The focus is on such topics as robotics and automation, smart and green energy and smart mobility. One of the event’s top sponsors is igus GmbH from Cologne, which supported the young talented people on site with expertise and low-cost robotics.
Every year, millions of tons of plastic end up in the oceans. More than 1,000 rivers wash most plastic from land into the sea. Organisations like Plastic Fischer are trying to counteract this pollution. Since 2021, the non-profit company has been collecting and processing plastic waste from rivers in India and Indonesia. The river-cleaning initiative is supported by such companies as igus GmbH in Cologne, which is financing the collection of altogether 10,000 kilogrammes of plastic waste.
Drilling 4,540 holes with precision: the trainees at SHW-Werkzeugmaschinen were faced with this task when building an air hockey table. For the mechanism of the special drilling machine, the prospective industrial mechanics and mechatronics technicians put their complete trust in the lubrication-free motion plastics from igus. Among other things, maintenance-free dryspin lead screws and the lubrication-free drylin W linear technology from igus are used.