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Produce orthoses that splint injured fingers in hospital in record time using a 3D printer: students at Trier University of Applied Sciences are developing a compact platform that measures fingers. One design challenge, for example, was the guidance of the movable sliders, the tips of which move along glued-on centimetre scales when the fingers are measured. The team therefore turned to a specialist for linear guides: igus. With the help of the ready-to-install miniature guide systems of the drylin N series in installation size 17, the students were able to implement the guidances of the measuring plate very easily.

The training to become a technician includes a unit on drive technology. The curriculum at the Carl-Reuther-Berufskolleg in Hennef, Germany is no different. One of the students there is Niklas Schröder, who works as a mechatronic developer for igus GmbH. During his off hours, he is training to be a certified technician. "The practical subject matter at school is especially relevant to my job. In the area of drive technology, I noticed that the material we were going over was only showing and explaining pneumatic solutions," says Schröder. He decided to donate demonstration material from igus. A toothed belt axis and a lead screw module with matching stepper motors and dryve D1 controllers have now been added to the vocational college's practical laboratory. "The intuitive web-based user interface now enables students to quickly discover for themselves how the axes with the motors can be put into operation," says Krystian Watty, technology teacher at Carl-Reuther-Berufskolleg. "We are very pleased that igus supports us with solutions and expertise  in the classroom."

Why go small when you can go big? That was what Robin Godwyll and Chris Walter were thinking when they designed the XXL 3D printer. With a 2x2x2 metre installation space, the industrial designers are looking to break new ground in manufacturing. An example application is printing furniture from plastics. But axis mobility posed a challenge for the designers: they had to ensure safe cable guidance. They found what they were looking for at igus®. young engineers support® enabled us to provide the students with energy chains and cables free of charge.

Students in the "Mechatronics/Automation" course at the Gütersloh campus of Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences have undertaken the existing project of a Rubik's-cube-solving machine and improved it so much that it can be used reliably at trade shows and on information days. The main challenges of the existing project were detecting the cube's status with image processing, controlling stepper motors to rotate the cube's sides, and clamping the cube manually in a complex procedure. drylin lead screw modules now ensure lubrication-free, jolt-free cube gripping from four sides. Ideally, the cube can be solved at a speed of 15 moves per second. The underlying solution algorithm requires between 10 and 35 moves. In the best case, the Rubik's cube can therefore be solved in less than a second and can thus compete with professional solutions.

From Darwin to Adelaide: 3,022 kilometres across the Australian desert. Participants in the World Solar Challenge had exactly one week to cover this distance. The cars could be propelled by solar power only. Student teams from all over the world developed various vehicle concepts for the challenge, demonstrating the colourful diversity of sustainable technologies. One of this year's participants came from Aachen. Team Sonnenwagen participated in the biennial competition for the second time and finished in sixth place. Its solution used plain bearing technology made of iglidur tribopolymers from igus, the motion plastics specialist.  Lightweight igus iglidur plain bearing technology can be found in countless places in the solar-powered car. Self-adjusting igubal clevis joints made of iglidur J are used in the telescopic mechanism for the solar car cover and in the steering wheel. The same material is also found in the form of plain bearings in the rear wheel suspension and the steering gear.

Jonas Bernhart decided to build his own 3D printer. For the components, the young engineer went to the igus motion plastics portfolio. His project required a drylin R aluminium shaft, which he used to support the y- and z-axes. He supported the x-axis brackets with drylin R linear plain bearing bushes. For y-axis (pressure board) support, he also used the linear bearing and igubal rod ends. For the removable print head, he installed a drylin linear guide rail in the x-axis. While planning the mechanics, he also planned the electronics and decided to control the stepper motors. This required igus chainflex cables, which he could lay through the aluminium profiles.

At the Formula Student Germany competition, igus® supports international student teams as part of its young engineers support. They meet annually at the construction competition at the Hockenheimring to compete against each other with their self-built race cars. Whether the problem is weight, cost, or space, igus iglidur® plain bearing technology helps with its light, compact tribopolymers.
In control systems, the pedal box, and the engine suspension: igus bearing technology gets everyone across the finish line. The plain bearings are resistant not only to wear, but also to corrosion and moisture. TU Wroclaw's PWR Racing Team (see picture) also uses igus® plain bearing technology.

Shooting the ball high, kicking a moving ball, jumping into the air, and getting up again after a fall are all skills not only of football pros, but also robots created by B-Human. At the RoboCup German Open, a robotics competition, the team from Bremen regained the German title they lost last year in the standard-platform football league. In the final, the team defeated the reigning world champion from Leipzig in a close 4:3 finish. "Motivated by this great result, we will be going to Sydney for the international RoboCup from 2 to 8 July, thanks to support from igus®," said Jan Blumenkap of B-Human. We wish the team further success!
www.b-human.eu 

CNC milling machines are becoming increasingly popular with hobbyists. They are quick and cost-effective to build and versatile in use, and their functions include milling, laser cutting, and 3D printing. One such hobbyist is Kay Thömmes. The mechanical engineering student has been working on fascinating DIY projects for several years. He has already used a lubrication-free igus® linear plain bearing bush to build a 3D printer. For his Mostly Printed CNC milling machine, Thömmes again chose igus® components: Highly flexible chainflex® cables and safe e-chains® ensure reliable cable guidance on the three axes. igus® sponsored the project as part of its young engineers support.

Four maintenance-free low-cost robolink D joints ensure the easy construction of a multifunctional articulated robot
 
At the University of Heidenheim, a team of six young mechanical engineering students built a robot as a project, which can assemble parts independently and reconstruct its own basic structure. The journey was the destination: within three months, the robot had to be developed, constructed and programmed by the team itself.
A 5-axis articulated robot was chosen as it offers a wide range of applications due to its exchangeable end module. In addition, both screwdrivers and gripper tools can be assembled. For the control system a closed-loop step controller and motors with encoder were used. The robot is controlled via a self-written programme. Four igus® robolink D robot joints ensure precision. A self-locking worm gear in each joint guarantees the optimal load capacity of the robot. Furthermore, the igus joints are low-maintenance, and due to the high-performance polymer no lubrication is necessary.

The VDI offspring - the VDInis - have visited the igus plant in Porz. At the event which lasted approximately three hours, parents and children learned a lot about plastic, motion plastics and igus, and also had a factory tour and a subsequent tinker with e-chain.
Plastic was already a household name for VDInis. However, high-performance plastics, injection moulding and motion plastics were unknown. In a half-hour session, VDInis and their parents were informed about plastics, igus and its products.  
After the presentation there was a short break and straight on to the pièce de résistance of the event: the factory tour. There was a lot to see: from material preparation and injection moulding machines, to the test laboratories and automatic e-chain assembly by robots and harnessed readychains.
Later the participants used chain links of the e-chain to build colourful bracelets, necklaces and even a skipping rope.

With an idea for a time-saving automation in 3D printing, Robert Hofmann GmbH convinced the jury. The prize, a voucher for €3,000 for a robolink D robot arm by igus® is supposed to make this concept come true. The low-cost robot would be used in the company's training centre. This innovation is supposed to make the manual exchange of building panels in the company's own 3D printer unnecessary. That way, full use of the plant's capacity would be possible. In addition, it can be controlled via a smartphone app.

At the first Formula Student event this year in the Netherlands, the team eMotorsports of the technical college Cologne was able to score its first success. Equipped with lubrication-free iglidur® plain and compensating igubal® pillow block bearings in the pedals as well as low-friction tribo-tape liner in the steering drive and maintenance-free xiros® polymer ball bearings in the aerodynamic parts, the team was able to achieve a place in the top ten.

They play football, master rescue operations and undertake the logistics in a smart factory: robots competed against each other in April at the 2018 RoboCup German Open in Magdeburg. The Carologistics team became the German champion in the Logistics League – with support from motion plastics specialist igus®.

With a floor area of 141,000 square metres in eleven halls, the Cologne trade fair once will again be the largest furniture store in the world during the IMM. Here the creative people in the industry show their novelties. In design as well as material. 15 prospective wood technicians from the Gsechs University of Applied Sciences in Hamburg are presenting a particularly elegant wine storage series made from teak/oak, cork and slate veneer at the fair. For their furniture, they rely on lubrication-free and maintenance-free plain bearing components from igus®.

This year, igus® is supporting the Team Robo TV from Paul Klee High School in Overath at the World Robot Olympics in Costa Rica. The competition revolves around completing a task within a specified period of time using a LEGO robot that the team has built and programmed itself.

Jochen Haas and Alexander Albers presented the project on WDR television. It becomes interesting as of minute 06.26: Video Lokalzeit WDR .

It was the idea of building a camera slider capable of taking automated and moving time-lapse footage and record smooth camera moves in short films that Paul Saul contacted igus®'s young engineers support. On account of its silent running and low-vibration movement of igus® linear guides, the student decided on a drylin® W rail with a suitable carriage.
A stepper motor connected with the carriage through a belt drive provides for camera movement along the rail. This type of motor was chosen to achieve the greatest possible precision for positioning and at the same time high running speeds. The precision is particularly important for focus stacking and to ensure a constant distance during time-lapse shooting. The dedicated student printed the camera mount and the motor mounting with his own 3D printer.

This artisan's project consists of a piece of hallway furniture made of oak and MDF painted anthracite that has a movable worktop that permits access to a secret compartment. This invisible guide is made possible with the use of the N17 drylin® low profile linear guide system between worktop and body.

This year, 115 teams from 25 countries competed against each other in the international constructors' competition at the Hockenhein Ring. This time once more the students relied on the lubrication and maintenance-free products from motion plastics specialist igus®. Whether linear guides in the pedals, carbon shaft on dry bearings in the steering drive or rod ends in the suspension arm – igus® products can be found in a wide range of deployment scenarios.

Chess is one of the most popular mental exercises and it's not only fun with a game partner, but also alone. With the "Chess Buddy", Sebastian Jahn and Julian Krydl have developed a new generation of chess robots as part of their degree thesis. It responds directly to the moves of the human counterpart and shifts the pieces quite autonomously. The motor-driven inner parts of the Chess Buddy consists of two precision aluminium shafts on which lubrication-free drylin® R plain bearings allow an electromagnet to position the chess pieces by sliding smoothly and quietly.

A group of students from Heidenheim were tasked with designing a mobile manipulator that is able to pick up ten wooden blocks and pile them up at a different place in the room in a device provided for this purpose. The team decided to deposit the cubes in a rail on the manipulator using a gripper. The rail assumes the function of a magazine that can store up to five cubes. As the unloading position is at a higher level, the height adjustment is provided by a lead screw drive. An additional lead screw drive ensures that the cubes are ejected in a horizontal direction. In order to be able to complete the project with a low budget, the team contacted igus® young engineers support. Together with the sales department, the team selected the drylin® E lead screw drive and the drylin® SLW lead screws with suitable bearings for the project and deployed them successfully in the manipulator, which the team christened ACHIM (Automated Cube Handling and Insertion Manipulator). The team can rightly be proud of its results: the lubrication and maintenance-free lead screws and the motors designed to match, enable the manipulator to pick up the ten wooden cubes within four minutes as required, rotate and eject them at the right place.

In the world of Formula Student, lightweight construction and innovation are part and parcel of day-to-day business. The installation of a drag reduction system (DRS) by the Formula Student team Global Formula Racing from Friedrichshafen also required lightweight but at the same time stable and wear-resistant components, which is the reason why the team contacted young engineers support. igus® 3D printing service provided the team with the "wing inserts" – printed easily and quickly. The inserts enable a stable wing design that is movable at the same time. The precise and quick production meant that the inserts were immediately attached to the wing profile.

The Team McGravity sponsored by igus® took a successful 6th place in the German championships of Formula 1 at Schools. A total of 230 teams throughout Germany wanted to win the highly coveted Formula 1 in Schools cup. The team from Hamburg had already taken second place in the state championships thus securing their entry in the German championships along with 16 other teams. These championships were an opportunity for the team to compete in various categories such as fastest car or team standing.

The Team B-Human of the University of Bremen sponsored by igus® won once again the Robocup German Open as the best German robot football team following a tense final against the HTWK's team from Leipzig with a score of 4:1. Already in the preliminary round and in the semifinal, the team won against the competition from Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Italy. The German Champions are now preparing for the upcoming world championship in Japan, where their objective is to defend their title as World Champions.

In this year's F1 in the School South-East regional championship, the Team Infinite Speed from Jakob Fugger High School took home the title of Vice-champion of Bavaria. The team from Augsburg deployed iglidur® J3 plain bearings both in the stub axles and in the front spoiler. Infinite Speed's team pits similarly won over the jury. In particular, the jury was so impressed by the idea of displaying information on the team members and the car on a touch display using barcodes they had programmed themselves that the team received the special prize for the best team stand of the senior teams from the whole of Bavaria, Hessen, Austria and the Netherlands.

The Frantic Racing team from Grootmoor High Scholl in Hamburg were able to win first place for the best design with their racing car in the Hamburg state championship of Formula 1 in School. igus® supported the team both with building up the prototype and with the final car with xiros® ball bearings made of xirodur® B180. Furthermore, plain bearings made of iglidur® G was used in the guide elements. For the Formula 1 in School races, the car is pulled on a guide string so that it remains securely on the track for the length of the course. In order to surround this cord as securely as possible, the students deployed our plain bearings on the bottom of the cars.

The "Public Brewing" project is an interactive media facade on the building of the Uerige house brewery in Düsseldorf. igus® donated drylin® ZLW to ensure that virtually produced beer – with the visitors controlling the process involving the crushing of malt through to bottling by operating various buttons, pumps and handles – is also followed by the real thing emerging.