Igus Presents: Plastics in Motion at PACK EXPO

In the packaging industry, motion components are everywhere: high‑speed pick‑and‑place systems, palletizing robots, conveyors, cable carriers, and much more. The durability, precision, and maintenance of these moving devices all directly affect the total cost of ownership. For most of history, metal alloys have been paired with lubrication to create the best motion components, but igus, long known for its motion plastics, has leveraged new material strengths in robotics and automation platforms.

Plastic Components for Motion

At its booth at PACK EXPO in Las Vegas, igus pointed a spotlight on both components and assemblies that include those products under the hood. Throughout the booth, igus displayed its long history in reliable motion plastics, including bearings, slides, gearsets, connectors, cable raceways, and much more!

A wide range of motion plastics from igus.

Motion inherently requires some material innovation. Any time there is motion, there is friction. Friction usually doesn’t play well with plastic. Some of the remedies to this problem include changing the shape to lower the friction, or adding lubrication or special low-friction materials (like PTFE) to the moving surface. These are quite effective in clean environments, but the problem only gets worse when dirt and other particles enter the scene.

A visually intriguing demo from igus was a simple sliding motion axis that dipped down into a box filled with dirt debris during each cycle. The entire machine being coated in dust and still moving smoothly presented a clear vision of how important it is to create reliable motion products.

This motion system surely isn’t operating under the best of conditions.

Robots for Collaborative Applications

Igus also promoted, for the first time, a palletizer built a low‑cost robot arm family designed for collaborative applications, namely working alongside human employees. These applications call for more risk mitigation by incorporating force control, speed limits, and, often, a more user-friendly programming interface. The palletizing line complements traditional industrial robots where flexibility and human safety are parallel priorities.

Palletizing robot from igus.

The Axis Online Community

Beyond hardware, igus is using PACK EXPO to further expand Axis, the online industrial community which was launched at the Robotics Summit and then promoted at Automate earlier this year. Axis is a forum for industrial professionals, robotic makers, educators, and manufacturers to come together for knowledge and idea sharing. The whole concept is to function as less of a marketing tool, but more as a part of igus’ mission to accelerate innovation and creativity in the field of industrial automation.

Igus’ PACK EXPO booth illustrated the company’s strategy of combining established plastics motion‑component strengths with robotic systems, flexible automation, and backing it all up with a community to share knowledge and support.

Trends in packaging (as with any industry) are constantly moving towards reduced maintenance costs, higher energy efficiency, and easier integration. Igus’ product catalog, founded on materials that allow motion plastics, helps to reduce weight, enabling faster speeds and less energy consumption, a win-win for nearly all industries. As packaging lines become more automated and flexible, it’s important to stay tuned to innovations that enable motion and development for future adaptation in the constantly changing industrial landscape.