Smart plastics
Hanover/Cologne, 30 May 2022 – German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, accompanied by Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa, visited the stand of plastics specialist igus on the first day of the Hannover Messe. The focus of the conversation was the igus:bike, an innovative concept for sustainable urban mobility of the future.
In order to be able to evaluate data from machines and systems centrally, Fanuc is now presenting its new open industrial IoT platform called “FIELD system”. The system can connect production machines of all manufacturers by means of a local network topology, enabling comprehensive data analysis of the entire process chain. In this infrastructure, apps from Fanuc and also from third-party suppliers are used. Now, igus has developed a smart plastics app for the new system. The app can be used by maintenance personnel to monitor the condition of their igus components, for example, energy chains and cables and plan all their maintenance work in good time.
“Industry 4.0”, “Internet of Things” and “Smart Factory” – these concepts are no longer a vague promise of what is to come. Companies are already able to benefit from the use of intelligent systems and products. At EMO 2019, igus will be showing how machine tool manufacturers and customers can raise their maintenance to a new level and, at the same time, reduce costs by using smart machine components.
Quick and easy configuration of complete energy supply systems now ensured by the igus e-chain expert. With the newly developed online tool, users can design their own guaranteed ready-to-connect energy chain system, in just a few steps. Here, the interior separation is made automatically and the user receives reliable information on the durability of the energy chain and cables used. This allows the customer to easily choose the most cost-effective system which fits their application.
Plain bearings often have to withstand considerable adverse influences such as abrasive dust, high speeds or chemicals. To enable indication of the degree of wear of such plain bearings in good time, igus has now developed the world’s first intelligent bearing with iglidur high-performance plastics. This warns of imminent failure in good time. Machine and equipment operators can plan maintenance, repairs and part replacement in advance.