Linear technology
Festival season is in full swing. To keep the queues at the beer to reasonable lengths, One Two Beer GmbH has developed an automatic beer tap. Its core is a mobile tap head that moves to the bottom of the cup, which it fills in five seconds without foam-over – built with a lubrication-free, hygienic, durable lead screw from the igus dryspin series.
Wood and plastic? Is that a good combination? The motion plastics specialist igus has researched the idea in a recent design study and tested the friction and wear behaviour of its plastic linear bearings on a wide variety of wood, and the result is impressive. The drylin econ J4 plain bearing has demonstrated its exceptional compatibility with various kinds of wood, opening new possibilities for furniture makers and design engineers when choosing materials.
Cleaning with chemicals is a daily occurrence for machines in the food processing industry. Even the smallest blind spot can collect moisture and can lead to contamination within the machine. More and more operators are therefore designing parts with an emphasis on Hygienic Design. igus is a member of the EHEDG and has developed the first linear guide system, based on the Hygienic Design guidelines. Using FDA-compliant materials such as the high-performance polymer iglidur A160, high-alloy stainless steel and a washable interior of the carriage ensures the hygienic design is adhered to.
The programming of motor control systems and the integration into machine environments often takes several days, amounting to costs of several thousand euros. A barrier that the Cologne-based company igus is now removing. With the free motion sample programmes, it is possible to commission the dryve series motor control systems in just a few minutes, and connect them to higher-level programmable logic controllers (PLC). This benefits automation newcomers and professionals alike.
igus is launching the drylin Endless Gear linear module (EGW), a modular, lubrication-free linear guide with rack and pinion drive. The modular system can be extended to any travel length, costs little and is almost as light as the guide for a toy train. Several carriages can travel on it in different directions and at different speeds. Users can also extend the linear guide after installation and add more carriages.
With the T20 of the drylin W series, igus is launching a new linear carriage on the market, which has the same dimensions as most classic carriages with recirculating ball bearing guides. This enables a quick 1:1 replacement – without any structural adjustments. By using drylin W, applications benefit from freedom from lubrication, a long service life, less cleaning effort and reduced weight.
Whether in an industrial environment or in a coffee machine, in order to maximize the service life of a linear guide and to keep the required drive energy low, it is important to reduce friction and wear as much as possible. igus, a motion plastics specialist, has now achieved a breakthrough in tribological plastics: With iglidur E3, igus has developed a new sliding material that has a friction coefficient that is up to 40 percent better and thus opens up design flexibility in linear technology for users for the first time from the classic 2:1 Rule expanded to 3:1.
Adjusting the width of a stop edge or the height of a monitor: programmable logic controllers (PLCs) are often oversized for thousands of such simple automation tasks. The alternatives from igus are the stepper motor output stages D7, D8 and D9 of the dryve series. Among other things, they are characterised by their simple operation and low-vibration running. At the same time, the output stages are particularly favourable and available directly from stock.
Even tried and tested structures have potential for improvement. One example is the classic trapezoidal thread, which igus has refined. Thanks to a special geometric interaction between the lead screw nut, which requires no lubrication or maintenance, and the metal lead screw, dryspin technology promises a long service life, improved efficiencies, low wear and less movement noise. Now dryspin lead screw technology is available in eight new installation sizes.
The motion plastics specialist igus demonstrates an exciting new approach for linear carriages. A clip mechanism enables easy installation and removal from the linear guide in a matter of seconds.