The Engineering Design Show is fast becoming the UK's "˜debutante's ball' for the unveiling of new, technological innovations to industry; at this year's show igus (stand D20) will be showcasing a range of new products, including robolink D, tribo-tabe, tribo-filament, e-cord micro, and the CRC clean-room chain.
Available in three sizes, robolink D is an articulated directly driven arm that allows for up to 6 degrees of freedom. Visitors to the stand will be able to see a demonstration of a full robolink D system in action. Justin Leonard, director at igus, says: "robolink D is a different approach to the problem of creating lightweight, cost-effective configurable robotic systems. Unlike the wire-driven standard robolink, this system is built on a series of directly driven joints, allowing higher payloads to be carried."
On the igus stand will be tribo-tape; made from self-lubricating iglidur A160 material, it is blue for easy identification in the food industry. Robert Dumayne, director at igus explains: "Thanks to its excellent wear characteristics, it is well-suited for lowering friction in a wide range of applications wherever there are sliding surfaces." Another introduction for 2014 is the tribo-filament, a material developed specifically for 3D printing prototypes suitable for dynamic bearing applications. The filament, which is compatible with conventional ABS 3D printers which use FDM method, is up to 50 times more abrasion-resistant than the usual 3D printer materials.
An energy chain advancement, igus developed the e-cord micro for safe guidance of capillary tubes. Leonard explains: "Capillary tubes are often routed in miniature hoses, whose diameters measure just a few millimetres and must not be bent in radii of less than 45mm in dynamic applications. If this is not adhered to in the design or during operation, the hoses can snap or kink and this leads to a process failure. Permanently secure routing in pre-defined radii poses a technical challenge, which is solved by the e-cord micro which is made of high-performance and elastic tribopolymers."
Also on show, will be DIN ISO class 1 certified and IPA confirmed CRC (clean room chain) that operates in a leak proof corrugated sleeve designed to prevent any potential abrasion. The design serves to seal the e-chain system completely, as well as the connection bracket and strain relief.
Throughout the exhibition, experts from igus will be on hand to provide advice and guidance on selecting energy chains, bearings and cabling assemblies for your own specific application. To arrange an appointment, please email [email protected]. To learn more about robolink D and the other igus products, visit the company at Stand D20, Engineering Design Show, Ricoh Arena, Coventry, 22nd - 23rd October, or go to www.igus.co.uk.