The complete igus campus in Cologne, the place it researches, produces, and assessments, 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 report variety of 277 new lubrication-free movement plastics merchandise for 2025.
“The altering political and financial circumstances didn’t depart us solely 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. via elevated automation in our manufacturing facility.”
“Nevertheless, our focus is all the time on the query: What’s in it for the shopper?” he added. “These challenges are a fair better incentive for us to interrupt new floor and show our progressive 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 business has misplaced competitiveness, igus has elevated the variety of energetic prospects by 5%. The corporate reported a comparatively average 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 stated it’s the international market chief in power provides, versatile cables, and plain and linear bearings, in addition to lead screw expertise made from tribo-polymers. It employs 5,200 individuals worldwide and has U.S. amenities in Rumford, R.I.
Low Price Automation addresses extra purposes
“There’s nonetheless loads of potential for innovation in German business,” stated igus, which cited its Low-Price Automation growth work for example. Its RBTX on-line market consists of configuration instruments, free consulting and software testing, and quite a few merchandise for lean robotics purposes.
“We provide over 200,000 components for automation,” famous Alexander Mühlens, vice chairman 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 advised The Robotic Report in the course of the firm’s spring media name.
“We’re beginning with AMRs for inside and out of doors purposes,” stated Mühlens.
As well as, igus presents assist with integrating all of the applied sciences it presents. “Robotics customers must combine cameras with robots,” he stated. “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 purposes corresponding to high quality management, pick-and-place operations, drilling, CNC machine tending, gluing, and printing, Mühlens stated.
On the 2025 Robotics Summit & Expo, which can be on April 30 and Could 1 in Boston, igus will reveal the next applied sciences at Sales space 221 on the present flooring:
- The “axis” on-line group for the business
- The ReBeL EduMove cell 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 “The right way to Get Your First Robotic Into the Manufacturing unit” on Wednesday, April 30.
Register now so you do not miss out!
igus is constructing its first humanoid
The corporate is creating its first humanoid robotic made from high-performance plastic, notably for its shifting components. The system is predicated on igus’ ReBeL Transfer wheeled cell robotic, and 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 stated. Instance purposes embody greeting prospects and a few insertion and meeting duties in factories.
“When it comes to danger analyses, humanoids are simpler to start out with in manufacturing crops than in eating places,” stated Mühlens, who added that the robotic can be designed for protected human-machine interplay.
“Humanoids are the longer term in a world designed for people,” he stated. “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 collection 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 continuous to spend money on the analysis, growth, and manufacturing of progressive applied sciences. The corporate stated it’s producing a model of its igludur plain bearings freed from polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE or Teflon) at comparable worth factors and efficiency to straightforward bearings.
igus is changing its whole E2.1 collection of power chains to recycled materials from previous fishing nets and power chains that it recycles as a part of its Chainge program. It claimed that this can cut back the CO2 footprint by 80%.
The corporate stated it has reached 92% towards its goal of being CO2-neutral with its buildings and manufacturing by the top of 2025, measured in opposition to Scopes 1 and a pair of.
“We have to change into even higher on this space and are engaged on quite a few sustainability measures, from the brand new multi-story automobile park with full façade greening to the modernization of our present buildings … with photovoltaic programs to the growth of our MHRS system for heating with waste warmth from machines,” defined Michael Blass, CEO of e-chain programs 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 corresponding 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 assessments. They will 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 patrons, igus is providing the brand new G4.42 power chain for easy gliding purposes corresponding 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 in addition 30% to 40% cheaper than normal chains of the identical dimensions from the E2 and E4 product vary, stated igus.
The corporate famous that it has expanded by creating inner startups for programs corresponding to ball bearings, robotic drives, 3D printing, and clever “good plastics” for Business 4.0. It additionally confirmed off the principally plastic RCYL bike, which is at the moment on a world tour to indicate the chances 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 now have invested over €350 million [$377.2 million] in Cologne alone — in land, buildings, state-of-the-art machines, software program, new merchandise, individuals and advertising and marketing,” stated Vogel.
With final month’s acquisition of elko Verbindungstechnik, which produces cables and plug-in connectors utilized in machine instruments and the automotive business, igus is increase its meeting capability in southern Germany. At its Cologne headquarters, igus is investing in automation corresponding to specifically developed and patented crimp towers and automatic guided automobiles (AGVs) in its manufacturing facility 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,” stated 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 international locations now have their very own buyer check areas in order that customers can shortly and simply discover their particular person Low-Price Automation answer on website,” he stated. “Three of those places — USA, China, Brazil — can be expanded into regional hubs, in order that manufacturing and growth may also be more and more localized. We’re additionally investing within the growth of branches in different international locations corresponding to Japan, Spain, Taiwan and Poland.”
