Your entire igus campus in Cologne, the place it researches, produces, and exams, now covers round 218,000 sq. m (2.3 million sq. ft.). Supply: igus GmbH
From movement plastics to humanoid robots, igus GmbH has continued to innovate. Regardless of financial constraints and geopolitical tensions, the Cologne, Germany-based firm yesterday introduced that it made €1.105 billion ($1.19 billion U.S.) in gross sales final 12 months. It’s providing a file variety of 277 new lubrication-free movement plastics merchandise for 2025.
“The altering political and financial situations didn’t go away us fully unaffected,” acknowledged Tobias Vogel, CEO for plain bearings and linear expertise at igus. “Like a lot of our prospects, we’re additionally specializing in financial savings and elevated effectivity, e.g. by way of elevated automation in our manufacturing unit.”
“Nevertheless, our focus is at all times on the query: What’s in it for the client?” he added. “These challenges are a good better incentive for us to interrupt new floor and show our modern energy ‘made in Germany’ to bolster each our competitiveness and that of our prospects.”
Whereas the VDMA Robotics + Automation Affiliation has expressed concern that the German robotics trade has misplaced competitiveness, igus has elevated the variety of energetic prospects by 5%. The corporate reported a comparatively reasonable decline in turnover of two.5%.
Based in 1964, igus develops and produces movement plastics, that are lubrication-free, high-performance polymers. The family-run firm mentioned it’s the international market chief in power provides, versatile cables, and plain and linear bearings, in addition to lead screw expertise fabricated from tribo-polymers. It employs 5,200 folks worldwide and has U.S. amenities in Rumford, R.I.
Low Price Automation addresses extra functions
“There may be nonetheless loads of potential for innovation in German trade,” mentioned igus, which cited its Low-Price Automation growth work for instance. Its Rbtrx on-line market consists of configuration instruments, free consulting and software testing, and quite a few merchandise for lean robotics functions.
“We provide over 200,000 components for automation,” famous Alexander Mühlens, vp and head of the Low-Price Automation enterprise unit at igus. “There are too many boring jobs, even inside igus.”
Purposes appropriate for automation, even at igus, embody palletizing and bringing components to molding and drilling machines, he instructed The Robotic Report through the firm’s spring media name.
“We’re beginning with AMRs for inside and outdoors functions,” mentioned Mühlens.
As well as, igus presents assist with integrating all of the applied sciences it presents. “Robotics customers have to combine cameras with robots,” he mentioned. “Our reply is the Robotic Management software program, which makes it simple to combine cameras with our SCARA robotic and ReBeL cobots.”
Whereas about 30% of igus’ collaborative robotic arms are utilized in training, 70% are in industrial functions akin to high quality management, pick-and-place operations, drilling, CNC machine tending, gluing, and printing, Mühlens mentioned.
On the 2025 Robotics Summit & Expowhich will likely be on April 30 and Could 1 in Boston, igus will reveal the next applied sciences at Sales space 221 on the present ground:
The “axis” on-line neighborhood for the trade
The ReBeL EduMove cellular manipulator utilizing open-source software program for training and analysis
The igus Robotic Management software program
Jan Hennecke, Low-Price Automation product supervisor at igus, will current a session on “Easy methods to Get Your First Robotic Into the Manufacturing facility” on Wednesday, April 30.
Register now so you do not miss out!
igus is constructing its first humanoid
The corporate is growing its first humanoid robotic fabricated from high-performance plastic, notably for its transferring components. The system is predicated on igus’ ReBeL Transfer wheeled cellular roboticand ReBeL light-weight cobot arms.
“It may be used flexibly and from any location at completely different workstations — with a return on funding (ROI) of lower than one 12 months,” the corporate asserted.
As for goal markets for its humanoid, igus is open to buyer suggestions, Mühlens mentioned. Instance functions embody greeting prospects and a few insertion and meeting duties in factories.
“By way of danger analyses, humanoids are simpler to start out with in manufacturing crops than in eating places,” mentioned Mühlens, who added that the robotic will likely be designed for protected human-machine interplay.
“Humanoids are the longer term in a world designed for people,” he mentioned. “We’ll be presenting at Hannover Messe 2025.”
According to its motto, ‘Go Zero Lubrication,’ igus is presenting 277 plastic improvements this 12 months, from PTFE-free supplies and an entire power chain sequence constituted of recycled supplies to a humanoid robotic. Supply: igus GmbH
Movement plastics chief seems to spice up sustainability
Along with presenting 277 new movement plastics merchandise, igus is constant to put money into the analysis, growth, and manufacturing of modern applied sciences. The corporate mentioned it’s producing a model of its igludur plain bearings freed from polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE or Teflon) at comparable value factors and efficiency to plain bearings.
igus is changing its whole E2.1 sequence of power chains to recycled materials from previous fishing nets and power chains that it recycles as a part of its It was program. It claimed that this may cut back the CO2 footprint by 80%.
The corporate mentioned it has reached 92% towards its goal of being CO2-neutral with its buildings and manufacturing by the tip of 2025, measured in opposition to Scopes 1 and a couple of.
“We have to grow to be even higher on this space and are engaged on quite a few sustainability measures, from the brand new multi-story automotive park with full façade greening to the modernization of our current buildings … with photovoltaic methods to the growth of our MHRS system for heating with waste warmth from machines,” defined Michael Blass, CEO of e-chain methods at igus.
The corporate additionally introduced the igus Cell Shore Energy Outlet (iMSPO) for the shore energy provide of container and cruise ships. The system is already in use in ports akin to Hamburg, Rotterdam, and Singapore.
With Fraunhofer IPA, igus has developed a brand new certificates that confirms the cleanroom suitability of its e-chains in long-term exams. They’ll stand up to over 15 million double strokes with minimal and constant particle emissions, which is essential in battery manufacturing.
With its emphasis on controlling prices for purchasers, igus is providing the brand new G4.42 power chain for easy gliding functions akin to on indoor cranes with journey distances of as much as 30 m (98.4 ft.). Due to the G4.42’s optimized design, it’s not solely 12 to 25% lighter, but additionally 30% to 40% less expensive than customary chains of the identical dimensions from the E2 and E4 product vary, mentioned igus.
The corporate famous that it has expanded by creating inner startups for methods akin to ball bearings, robotic drives, 3D printing, and clever “sensible plastics” for Trade 4.0. It additionally confirmed off the principally plastic RCYL bike, which is presently on a world tour to point out the probabilities of recycled supplies with igus engineering.
The igus low-maintenance bicycle constituted of recycled plastic is now on a world tour. Supply: igus GmbH
igus invests in German, international presence
“Within the final 5 years, we’ve got invested over €350 million ($377.2 million) in Cologne alone — in land, buildings, state-of-the-art machines, software program, new merchandise, folks and advertising,” mentioned Vogel.
With final month’s acquisition of elko Verbindungstechnik, which produces cables and plug-in connectors utilized in machine instruments and the automotive trade, igus is build up its meeting capability in southern Germany. At its Cologne headquarters, igus is investing in automation akin to specifically developed and patented crimp towers and automatic guided autos (AGVs) in its manufacturing unit buildings.
The corporate has additionally expanded its manufacturing corridor and check laboratory in Germany, in addition to in its branches in Shanghai, China, and Bangalore, India.
“The client is on the heart of all our actions,” mentioned Blass. “After introducing injection molding within the U.S., we’re now additionally establishing on-site lead screw manufacturing and have opened our personal RBTX buyer testing space for low-cost robotics.”
“Which means that 10 nations now have their very own buyer check areas in order that customers can rapidly and simply discover their particular person Low-Price Automation answer on website,” he mentioned. “Three of those places — USA, China, Brazil — will likely be expanded into regional hubs, in order that manufacturing and growth can even be more and more localized. We’re additionally investing within the growth of branches in different nations akin to Japan, Spain, Taiwan and Poland.”
