It’s done: after a long period of development work, the igus:bike, a bicycle made of 92 per cent plastic with a high share of recycled content, has gone into series production. The Dutch development partner MTRL is currently producing the first 100 units together with igus. At the same time, the plastics specialist is building its own production line at the Cologne site to increase production capacity to 10,000 units over the next two years. This brings the companies one step closer to their sustainability vision of transferring plastic waste to a circular economy and using it for the urban mobility of the future.
For cable guidance in drawers and pull-outs of all kinds, igus is launching the draw e-chain. Thanks to the minimalist design, the price of the compact energy chain is 30 per cent lower than the most cost-effective standard e-chains. This protects against expensive oversizing, especially if the application is only moved a little.
3D-printed polymer components will be able to resist much higher temperatures in future – in the engine compartment of a car, for example. While commercially available SLS printing materials threaten to deform at over 80°C, the new powdery material iglidur i230 from igus can withstand a long-term application temperature of 110°C. Furthermore, it is free of PTFE and around 80% more wear-resistant than the classic PA12.