The starting signal has been given, the igus:bike® is on a world tour. To celebrate igus’s 60th birthday, the innovative, bright orange bicycle made from recycled plastic will be travelling the world for a whole year. The aim: to familiarise industry partners, media representatives and consumers with a new form of urban mobility that combines a fun ride with sustainability. The urban bike represents many of the advantages of igus products, the “motion plastics”: it does not rust, requires no oil and is virtually maintenance-free. The ball bearings, drive and freewheel also do not need lubricating as they are made from high-performance plastics. At the same time, the igus:bike is an example of how the transformation to a sustainable circular economy of plastics can succeed.
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.
After presenting the entirely plastic igus:bike last year, igus is now presenting an additional product line made of high-performance plastics for bicycle manufacturers. Other lines include frames made from a single mould or several components, impellers, and cranksets. The handlebars are about to go into series production and will be used on the Advanced Reco bike. The handlebars are produced with compounded polymers igus developed in house and have vigirously tested in the vast igus bicycle laboratory. The products are recyclable and made partly from recycled material. Production will start in Cologne and be expanded to Asia and North America, so as to offer bike OEMs local supply chains.
