TOTAL Processing and Packaging 2004

What applications do igus products (polymer bearings, reinforced cable chains and flexible cables) have in the processing and packaging industry? igus products are used throughout this entire industry

Igus provides TOTAL solution for packaging industry.

Matthew Aldridge, Product Director for bearings at igus (UK) Limited, explains why the company's products are so well suited to the processing and packaging industry.

What applications do igus products (polymer bearings, reinforced cable chains and flexible cables) have in the processing and packaging industry? igus products are used throughout this entire industry; it is a very important sector for us.

iglidur bearings can be used on most pivoting and rotating mechanisms and DryLin linear bearings and igubal spherical bearings are used in many applications, often at very high speeds.

E-Chains, together with our Chainflex cables, are used in any application where power needs to be transported in a linear fashion.

Machines that use igus products include wrapping machines, filling machines, weighing machines, palletising robots, and pick and place machines.

How can using igus bearings benefit an application? Absolutely no lubrication, ever! This is especially important in the food industry.

Also, the machine builder benefits from the predictable life of igus bearings, and the option to use virtually any shaft material.

All igus bearings can run in dirty, dusty environments.

What about the benefits of using igus chain? No corrosion and the igus range is large enough to have the most compact chain for your requirements.

A fully built ReadyChain helps the machine builder with cash flow, and reduces lead times and costs.

And what advantages can be gained from using igus cables? They are designed to work in dynamic applications, especially in an E-Chain system.

Also, if igus Chainflex is used with an igus specified E-Chain, a full system guarantee is offered.

How does the end user benefit? In addition to the above benefits, the end user has a number of additional advantages: with iglidur bearings the noise is drastically lower than that achieved with conventional bearings; in today's workplace this is becoming increasingly important.

igus bearings also cannot catastrophically fail: the wear is predictable and linear.

The shafts will not wear at all in comparison with the bearings.

With igubal rod ends and DryLin linear systems, the low weight means that the required driving force is lower, thus keeping running costs to a minimum.

igus E-Chain systems are modular, allowing easy replacement if damaged, and they also run at a much lower noise than any other system currently available.

What can a visitor to the igus stand at TOTAL expect to gain from the experience? We will be presenting the latest products and developments from igus, including DryLin W.

This is a totally new modular linear system which offers an extremely high life, especially in applications found in the packaging industry, and offers massive cost savings over traditional linear guides.

Sales engineers from all igus product lines will be on hand to explain products and show how igus can help with specific applications.

What does igus hope to achieve by exhibiting at the TOTAL show? Many of our customers will be exhibiting at TOTAL; we would like to have the chance to meet with them and show them our new product lines.

Also, some companies may be unfamiliar with igus and may not be aware of the benefits available to them.

We would like to meet these people and explain how to design cost out and increase the life of their machines by incorporating igus E-Chain systems and bearings.

What makes igus products stand out from their competitors? No other company manufactures both E-Chain systems and bearings.

This is a reflection of the total commitment at igus towards improving automation using polymer technology.

The E-Chain range is the largest in the world, and igus is the only E-Chain manufacturer to also make cable - the world-renown Chainflex range.

Also, no one else has been manufacturing polymer bearings for as long as igus.

As a result, igus have the most extensive range and knowledge in today's market.

Many "firsts" have been made at igus: the first lifetime prediction for plain bearings, the first all-polymer spherical bearing, the first zero clearance polymer plain bearing, and the first adjustable linear plain bearing.

Also, with a UK external sales force of almost 20 people, no other competitor can respond as quickly and efficiently as igus.

All products are available ex stock and free samples are offered for all prototype builds.

Finally, can you sum up exactly why igus products should be used? If an engineer would like to design lubrication out of his machine; if a purchasing manager would like to reduce component costs; if a production manager would like to reduce lead times; if a quality manager would like to improve the product: igus can help.

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