smart plastics
Because technologies supported by the Industrial Internet of Things are enjoying greater acceptance in factory environments, even more components with integrated intelligence are being produced. This is leading to the emergence of a new generation of smart plastics capable of constantly monitoring themselves and providing performance data and early warning of critical wear. These smart plastics can be used to increase plant productivity, maximise service life, and reduce costs thanks to condition monitoring and predictive maintenance.
More than 25,000 igus energy chains travel long distances every year in STS cranes, storage and retrieval units and linear robots. To load and unload the cutting-edge Triple E-class container ships, larger STS cranes must be built or existing cranes retrofitted. For future operations, in addition to using rol e-chains, there is much to recommend self-monitoring systems fitted with sensors.
Energy chains in gantry systems ensure that moving power and data cables and pneumatic lines are protected and reliably guided. To counteract problems on long travels, several technology companies are working with igus on the optimum integration of various sensor systems into modular gantry solutions for automation.
igus makes it easy for all interested parties here – with the smart selection aid for smart plastics. This is an interactive online tool that guides users to their first networked product for Industry 4.0 with just a few targeted questions.
Very often, the utility of preventive measures such as forward-looking risk minimisation and preventive maintenance is not easy to see without a specific example case. Such cases are normally provided with theoretical insights or alternative use cases. To make it clear for smart plastics, we have spared no expense in preparing a real-life test case.