The trip is over and "iglidur on tour" has become history. And in what a manner! The orange convertible travelled for over a year and covered more than 100,000 kilometres in four continents. It crossed dusty deserts and visited megacities, braved cold and wet, negotiated potholes in India as well as icy roads in Norway. The mission of the small car: to demonstrate the resilience of the lubrication-free and maintenance-free plain bearings from the motion plastics specialists, igus. Now the Cologne company is drafting a résumé of the one-year journey.
The 'iglidur on tour' vehicle was equipped with igus components in 56 bearing points: the brake pedal, wipers and window mechanism, in the alternator, the seat console, the handbrake, the convertible roof and the carburettor. In January 2014, the long journey began; the convertible visited customers, exhibitions and igus offices worldwide. The first stop was India, where a total of 5,000 km was covered, and in the meantime visited more than 80 customers. Further stops included China, South Korea, Taiwan and Japan, before it was time for the World Cup in Brazil. After driving through Canada and the United States, the tour traversed Europe, going through France, Great Britain, Poland, Spain, and hardly any country was left out. One day the vehicle was in Switzerland, and in Norway soon after.
iglidur on tour live at the Hannover Messe
The tour concluded at the 2015 Hannover Messe. The components of the vehicle were exhibited on site, where the team led by Karl Weinmeister narrated the experiences of the tour to the visitors. Prior to this occasion, the plain bearings were removed and tested extensively for wear. The result of the one-off stress test was clear, albeit not entirely unexpected. "None of the 56 bearings installed showed any severe sign of wear," says Gerhard Baus, authorised representative for plain bearing technology at igus. "But we were sure that the plain bearings would withstand the most diverse range of applications and conditions. The reason for it is not only our long experience in the field of motion plastics, but also the test laboratory in which we carry out more than 10,000 tribological tests a year. In doing so, we give the customer a predictable and tested reliability for his application."
Every second bearing goes to the automotive industry
Around the world, the "iglidur on tour" team asked customers why they chose igus for 'motion plastics'. Among the most frequently mentioned reasons for the choice, the self-lubricating properties of the material and the associated freedom from maintenance, or the resistance to moisture and dirt were prominent. The customers from the automotive sector subjected the small car to close scrutiny. Here the low weight of the polymeric material is considered as a decisive advantage. iglidur plain bearings reduce the weight in each bearing point by a factor of 7, if they replace metallic bearings.
The "iglidur on tour" team has now covered over 100,000 kilometres in 14 months. "It was a great adventure for us too, as a team," says Karl Weinmeister. "We have come to know so many different applications and industries in which motion plastics from igus are used, as well as the different countries and cultures." For each kilometre covered, igus GmbH and its regional offices donated one Euro to charitable projects in the respective regions. Even though the official part of the tour is over, you might be seeing the small orange car from Cologne on the streets.
For more information on e-shell please visit:
http://www.igus.in/wpck/13079/N15_01_19_Wellschlauch_mit_Stuetze?C=IN&L=en
About igus India
igus® operations in India started in the year 1998 with head quarters in Bangalore. igus offers widest range of products that includes polymer bearings, igubal® spherical bearings, cable tray, DryLin® linear bearings & guide systems enable them to serve the whole industrial establishments in India from a small work shop to huge industrial establishments.
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