Last year, the turnover of Igus, a supplier of motion plastics, fell by 4.8% to 727 million euros as a result of the coronavirus crisis. The company is optimistic about the current year thanks to a significant increase in incoming orders. The pandemic has also led to a surge in innovation in the home office. The result is 168 new products, product enhancements and digital offerings - more than ever before in spring.

One of the innovations is the 'ReBeL' robot drive element. Customers can construct their own robot arms quickly and inexpensively from the modular system. The core of the 'ReBeL' is a greatly improved plastic gearbox. An integrated BLDC electric motor with power electronics can be connected to various controllers. In addition, a suitable low-cost controller from Igus is available to download free of charge so that automation can be simulated in advance.

In the field of 'large' industrial robotics, the 'TRX' energy supply system is a solution on the market that rethinks the topic of robot hosepacks. The energy supply system twists, lengthens and shortens in a spiral, and cables are inserted in the form of a helix. This enables a weight saving of 83% on the third axis, in less than half the space.

Igus is also presenting innovations in all areas of lubrication- and maintenance-free bearing technology. According to the company, the engineers have achieved a breakthrough in the service life of ball bearings. In applications involving low loads and high speeds, this has been increased by a factor of 21.