At this year’s Hannover Messe trade fair, igus will be showcasing its latest product developments, including PTFE-free materials, a complete energy chain series made from recycled materials, and the new dry cleanroom certificate for igus e-chains, which was developed with Fraunhofer IPA.
Design World caught up with the company at the recent Hannover Messe press preview. Selina Pappers, Public Relations Manager for the company, said that this year, they are focusing more on the sustainable solutions that they have; last year, the focus was more on AI, digitalization, and automation.
“Those topics are still very important for us,” Pappers said. “But we want to show the variety of our solutions. We wanted to show more of the sustainability aspects, specifically with plastics. A lot of people may still think, ‘How can you combine plastics and sustainability?’ That’s why we wanted to show how we do it, and how clients can benefit from it — without any additional costs or any disadvantages. We want to show that you can have the best of both worlds, with a sustainable solution, but still be able to save some costs.”
“The way we live and work is constantly changing. That’s why we always see varying conditions as opportunities,” said Tobias Vogel, CEO Plain Bearing and Linear Technology. “They are an incentive for us to break new ground and develop innovative solutions for our customers.”
One challenge sustainability poses that will affect many companies is the upcoming decisions regarding the use of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). Regardless of whether there will be a ban, igus has been researching alternatives to PTFE for several years.
“We are developing new formulations, carrying out extensive tests, checking our materials for PFAS compounds and adapting our production processes so that we can continue to offer our customers a suitable solution in the future,” said Vogel.
Now igus is expanding its product range to include PTFE-free versions of all iglidur standard materials. These comprise the materials iglidur J, W300, M250, G, X and H. igus already offers PTFE-free and PFAS-tested alternatives in other product areas such as linear guides, slewing ring bearings and tribo-tape liners. Analyses in the in-house test laboratory regarding friction and wear behaviour also show a significantly better performance of the materials with substituted PTFE compared to the reference containing PTFE. Research into alternatives has therefore generated significant added value.
Following the successful development of the first energy chain made from recycled material in 2022, the company is now converting its entire catalogue range of the standard energy chain series E2.1 to the new recycled material igumid CG LW. This is made from old energy chains that are recycled via the company’s own “Chainge” program, as well as old fishing nets.
“With this recycled chain series, we enable customers to contribute to the circular economy for plastics together with us,” said Michael Blass, CEO E-Chain Systems. “It is also our proof that sustainability does not have to be expensive. The recycled E2.1 series will be available at the same price as the previous e-chains made from standard material.”
Find igus at Hannover Messe 2025 in Hall 6, at stand E26.
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