German Chancellor Angela Merkel sees the future of automation at igus at the Hanover Fair
Prominent visit to the igus booth: German Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel and Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven visited the booth of the motion plastics specialist igus on the first day of the Hanover Trade Fair. The focus of interest: cost-effective robotics made in Germany.
At the Hanover Fair, the world’s largest industrial show for automation and industry 4.0, the Chancellor looks into the future. The service robot arm shown could soon dry the dishes and lay the table on call. “We would like to continue to provide the Federal Chancellor with the service she had in the Chancellor’s Office after her term of office. This will give her more time for other things, such as writing political or scientific books,” says Managing Director Frank Blase with a wink. “In one or two years, such a robot will be ready to go into production and affordable.” igus exhibits at Hanover Fair to get in touch with customers from the world of household appliances. Service robotics is an important future topic for the industry.
motion plastics move applications worldwide
To make the robots affordable for every household, igus relies on its 50 years of pioneering work with motion plastics technologies for gears, joints and connections. At the core are the high-performance plastics developed in-house that are lubrication- and maintenance-free. The result is always products that are low-cost and at the same time last for a very long time. With 4,150 employees and an annual turnover of 748 million euros, the family-run company based in Cologne Porz-Lind is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of energy chain systems and polymer plain bearings. igus ventures into new areas of industry every year; most recently, these were 3D printing for wear-resistant parts with online calculable service life or lubrication-free ball bearings made of high-performance polymers. According to a study by RWTH Aachen University, over 35 million tons of lubricating oil can be saved annually worldwide through the elimination of lubricants. At the same time, the production of polymers requires around 50 percent less energy than steel and 70 percent less than aluminium.
High-performance plastics become high-tech components
motion plastics are developing more and more into high-tech components. “smart plastics” is what igus calls products that monitor themselves in operation and inform customers how long they will last. Even before use, the engineer can select the solution with the best price/lifetime ratio via online simulation. Enormous investments in digitalisation are now also helping the customer to enter the robotics sector. Together with 16 other partners from the industry, igus will present the world premiere of the RBTX.com platform at the Hanover Fair, bringing together suppliers and users of low-cost robotics. Users can put together an automation solution online that meets their requirements and budget. Suppliers of robotic components are given the opportunity to market their products to a larger audience. igus is focussing on the dynamics of the robotics community in the joint development of new low-cost concepts.
The video of the visit is available here: https://youtu.be/dQKd2KWivcI
For more information about low-cost automation from igus, please visit: www.igus.co.uk or call igus directly on: 01604 677240
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About igus:
Based in Northampton in the UK and with global headquarters in Cologne, Germany, igus is a leading international manufacturer of energy chain systems and polymer plain bearings. The family-run company is represented in 35 countries and employs 4,150 people around the world. In 2018, igus generated a turnover of 748 million euros with motion plastics, plastic components for moving applications.
