Asia Food & Beverages Report (May/June 2021 issue)

168 motion plastic innovations on virtual display at igus 2021 Motion Plastics Show
igus Motion Plastics virtual-physical trade show in Cologne enters its 2 nd year, with this year
having a record 168 motion plastic innovations on display for visitors.
The virtual-physical booth has also won iF Design Award for its interactive capabilities.
According to igus CEO Frank Blasé, “This is the 2nd year without physical trade shows. This
time we can start the presentation of our new products at full digital speed.” The new trade
show stand, at 400 sq.metres, has been optimised based on experience gained in virtual
customer consultation and tours last year.
Solutions for various industries can be seen in a separate area and these include the spacesaving
and telescopic triflex TRX energy chain on robots, RBTX.com platform for low-cost
robotics, as well as the iglidur I151 tribo-filament for FDA-compliant, detectable wear-resistant
parts for food technology.
The goal of RBTX.com platform is to enable manufacturers to open up new sales channels
for their low-cost automation products and reach new target groups. Christian Batz, Head
of igus digITal said, “The TRBTX.com concept intended for companies, start-ups, research
institutes and mechanical engineering companies offers fast, customised robot solutions at
low starting costs of just a few thousand euros and with short amortisation times. What we
are talking about here is a low-risk way of entering the era of automation and investing in the
competitiveness of tomorrow.” In future, the platform is also intended to enable configuration
of the robot mechanics, beginning with gearboxes, joints and connecting parts.
Meanwhile, igus new triflex TRX energy chains are widely used in the industry for fail-safe
Packaging & Technology News
MOTION PLASTICS
RBTX, a platform that brings suppliers and users of
low-cost robotics together
guidance of cables and hoses on robots. Retraction systems have so far been used on the third axis to ensure that no loops are created
during the movement of the energy chain system which could hinder the robot. Jörg Ottersbach, Head of the e-chains Business Unit at igus
GmbH said, “With TRX, we created a space-saving chain that can be fixed directly and compactly on the third axis. The energy supply twists
into itself, lengthens and shortens spirally as in a telescopic pull-out, by up to 40 per cent.” Compared to other retraction systems, the user
saves up to 83% weight and requires less than half the space. In this way, the performance of the robot can be further improved, and costs
are significantly reduced by dispensing with an additional retraction system.
The issue of plastics sustainability is now even more visible and is given a central position at the trade show.
igus show stand has hosted more than 55,000 visitors from all over the world, since it is freely accessible. Visitors can book their virtual tour
with an igus expert simply by clicking to the following link - https://content.communication.igus.net/en/contact_website
The virtual-physical trade show stand is an important component of a digital igus concept that allows users to find the right lubrication-free,
maintenance-free motion plastics for their specific requirements even faster. For instance, machine design and tutorials can be completed
virtually with igus consultants, online seminars from the online seminar studio provide additional assistance, and the interactive digital
catalogue variant also provides additional information with access to white papers, blog articles and explanatory videos.
41 Asia Food & Beverages