Four unique projects have received igus Manus Awards for the ingenious use of lubrication-free plastic bearings.
The American company J&M Manufacturing was proclaimed winner of the 2023 Gold manus® at the Hannover Messe fair, whose application stood out for the sustainable and economical use of lubrication-free polymer bearings in an innovative agricultural system. The French company Aufratech won the Silver Manus® award for its exoskeleton, the Fiedler Maschinenbau company took the Bronze Manus® for its telescopic cleaning system for municipal vehicles, and the German manufacturer Rockinger Agriculture GmbH took the Manus® Green due to its lubrication-free coupling.
The aim of igus with these awards is highlight the use of bearings, a component that often goes unnoticed in machines. The Manus Awards are held every two years to reward companies that technically improve their applications with lubrication-free plastic bearings and make them more sustainable. In this eleventh edition of the contest, a total of 480 applications from 36 different countries participated. A jury made up of experts from the industry, research and the specialized press evaluated the applications taking into account the following criteria: creativity, functionality, savings factor, efficiency and originality.
Manus® de Oro for a plow for nitrogen fertilization
J&M Manufacturing won the 2023 Manus® Gold Award. The American company developed a plow with multiple pivot points to provide greater flexibility and adaptability. Farmers use plows to apply liquid nitrogen fertilizer to crops such as corn, potatoes, and wheat. However, until now the industry standard implement used a single pivot point for the coulter and plow disc, which caused the fertilizer insertion coulter to lift out of the ground faster than the disk, causing some of the nitrogen to volatilize and be lost. To solve this problem, J&M Manufacturing engineers implemented a spring system. The multi-point, parallel pivot design keeps the blade and disc level with the ground, ensuring more nitrogen is applied to the soil. The plow was equipped with a total of five pivot points for which were used igus polymer bearings because they are not only resistant to corrosion in contact with liquid nitrogen fertilizer and reliably withstand oscillating movements, but also allow low-friction dry running without the need for a single drop of lubricating oil.
Silver Manus® for an exoskeleton with a slim design
Those who work with high-pressure cleaners in the food industry, the landscaping industry and the agricultural sector are familiar with very heavy equipment where back pain is inevitable. Aufratech company provides a solution for these situations. This French company has been the winner of the 2023 Silver Manus® award for its EXO N exoskeleton. At the core of the exoskeleton design is a control system that allows users to guide the attached cleaning lances while keeping their back straight. Engineers have achieved a streamlined design by grouping as many functions as possible around an aluminum hub with corrosion-free linear slide bearings and plain bearings of the iglidur J3 series from igus, including translation and rotation guidance.
Bronze Manus® for a high pressure telescopic cleaning system
The company Fiedler Maschinenbau und Technikvertrieb GmbH received the award for its high-pressure cleaning system for municipal vehicles to keep streets, sidewalks and squares clean. Its key component is the FSB 1500/2600 twin spray boom, which sits at the front of the vehicle, equipped with side nozzles, a center section and electronically switchable floor nozzles for cleaning surfaces with high-pressure water. The particularity of this system is that the working area of the high-pressure cleaner can be changed at the touch of a button. The double spray bar can be extended up to 500mm on each side, the adaptability of which allows the driver to clean large surfaces more quickly. For the telescopic function, engineers have used drylin W series linear guides and pedestal bearings resistant to corrosion and wear, and insensitive to water and overspray, sand, gravel and brake dust. They are also robust enough to withstand heavy shock and vibration when crossing curbs and paving stones.
Manus® Green for a lubrication-free trailer coupling
The use of lubrication in the agriculture sector is a controversial issue, as there is always a risk of contamination of crops. To prevent this, Rockinger Agriculture GmbH has developed a lubrication-free anchoring system called KS80 for self-loading wagons, muck spreaders, tippers and sprayers. Thanks to this idea of sustainability, they won the Manus® Green award. The coupling consists of a double-jointed connecting rod and a claw that are installed in the height adjustment. The special feature of this system only becomes apparent when looking at the coupling claw, as it contains a wear-resistant high-performance plastic insert from the iglidur series that igus developed specifically for this application. Thanks to its composition with self-lubricating particles, it allows low friction, lubrication-free and environmentally friendly operation. Rockinger Agriculture GmbH calculates that if one third of the tractors in Germany were equipped with a KS80 and a wear resistant insert, around 8,300 couplings would not need lubrication. In this way, eight tons of fat could be saved annually.
2023-04-27 06:30:14
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