igus dontes plastic bearings to high school students for FIRST robot

Upper Darby High School's FIRST Robotics team executes a royal assault with the aid of more than
250 plastic bearings and other components
donated by igus

EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. – May 23, 2006 – Igus® Inc., the leading developer of Energy Chain Systems®, Chainflex® continuous-flex cables and iglide® plastic bearings today announced that Royal Assault, a FIRST (For the Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics team from Upper Darby High School in Pa., has been using donated igus products for the past two years. In conjunction with the company’s Y.E.S. (Young Engineers Support) Program, designed to foster the mechanical design ideas of students with a passion for engineering, igus provided the Upper Darby team with plastic machinery components not only through its official product sponsorship of FIRST Robotics – in which the company donated a kit of parts to each of the 1,124 teams – but also provided the Upper Darby students with hundreds of additional products. These included iglide plastic bearings, igubal® spherical bearings, DryLin® N linear guide systems and DryLin S aluminum shafting for use on its FIRST robot, as well as in other engineering-based competitions.

Although a jester may be the team mascot, the Upper Darby students do not consider the challenges posed by the FIRST Robotics Competition a laughing matter. The veteran team, comprised of more than 40 students and 10 mentors, works year round on its FIRST robot, while also participating in community service projects and various educational endeavors. Since the group’s inception in 2000, Upper Darby students have competed in FIRST regionals in multiple states, including Pa., Texas, Fla. and Md.

For the 2005 competition, iglide bearings were used in the robot’s wheels. Because iglide bearings are made of lightweight plastic, the team was able to meet crucial weight requirements set by FIRST. Upper Darby was so impressed by the performance of the igus products that for the 2006 event, the team requested 253 iglide bearings and DryLin S aluminum shafting to use on its robot, Jester.

At the onset of the season, Upper Darby and 1,124 fellow FIRST teams were challenged to design, build and compete with a robot possessing a number of capabilities. For this year’s game, Aim High, alliances comprised of three robots battled one another to score points by shooting and rolling balls into goals located on and above the game floor.

To accomplish this objective, Upper Darby set out to create a robot with superior offensive, defensive, ball-collecting and ball-shooting capabilities. The team used iglide Z bearings and DryLin S aluminum shafting in the robot’s dual-layered mecanum wheels, which were originally developed in 2004 and coined “Jester Drive.” Each of the four wheels uses 54 iglide Z bearings to aid the robot in achieving full holonomic movement, while at the same time making it more difficult for opposing robots to push the Jester around the game floor. Iglide Z is specifically designed for high-temperature applications, extreme loads and high surface speeds.

Upper Darby students also used 34 igubal spherical bearings, DryLin N linear guide systems and DryLin S shafting on the robot’s ball-collecting mechanism. Igubal pillow blocks and rod ends enable the robot to pick up game balls from the floor and deliver them to its shooter to score additional points. Igubal spherical bearings are self-lubricating, maintenance-free and self-aligning, which saves time and eliminates repair work for the Upper Darby team.

“All of the igus products performed flawlessly,” said Michael Crane, Upper Darby FIRST Robotics Team mentor. “ What a great motivator [the Y.E.S. Program is] for the kids. The relationship with igus makes it possible to be more creative.”

At the Philadelphia FIRST regional, Upper Darby secured a slot for the Atlanta Championship and was honored with a number of awards, including the esteemed Chairman’s Award for best embodying the ideals of FIRST, the Woodie Flowers Award and the Delphi’s Driving Tomorrow’s Technology Award. In Florida, the students also delivered a solid performance, emerging as finalists in the competition and winning the Engineering Inspiration Award.

Aside from FIRST, Upper Darby students have applied their originality to other engineering projects and were recently awarded the 2006 Lemelson-MIT InvenTeam Grant, which is funding their aspiration to create an omni-directional mecanum-wheel-driven wheelchair that aims to solve mobility problems faced by disabled people. The team has almost completed the wheelchair, which uses iglide Z bearings, and intends to showcase its revolutionary invention at MIT’s Inventeams Odyssey this June.

To learn more about igus’ sponsorship of the FIRST Robotics Program, visit www.igus.com/yesprogram. To learn more about the Upper Darby High School FIRST Robotics team, go to www.team357.org.

About igus
Igus Inc., founded in 1985 and based in East Providence, R.I., develops and manufactures industry-leading plastic cable carriers, continuous-flex cables, plastic bearings and linear guide systems. With more than 28,000 products available from stock, the company meets the motion control and machinery component needs of customers worldwide. Product lines include Energy Chain Systems to protect and house moving cables, Chainflex continuous-flex cables, iglide self-lubricating, oil-free, plastic bearings, DryLin linear guide systems and igubal spherical bearings. For more information, contact igus at (800) 521-2747 or visit www.igus.com.

	igus Homepage > Press Room > News Archives

	Download now Hi-Res/Lo-Res Download now Hi-Res/Lo-Res View the entire igus photo gallery and get other images and captions for print or online publication! Go now!			Upper Darby High School's FIRST Robotics team executes a royal assault with the aid of more than 250 plastic bearings and other components donated by igus EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. – May 23, 2006 – Igus® Inc., the leading developer of Energy Chain Systems®, Chainflex® continuous-flex cables and iglide® plastic bearings today announced that Royal Assault, a FIRST (For the Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics team from Upper Darby High School in Pa., has been using donated igus products for the past two years. In conjunction with the company’s Y.E.S. (Young Engineers Support) Program, designed to foster the mechanical design ideas of students with a passion for engineering, igus provided the Upper Darby team with plastic machinery components not only through its official product sponsorship of FIRST Robotics – in which the company donated a kit of parts to each of the 1,124 teams – but also provided the Upper Darby students with hundreds of additional products. These included iglide plastic bearings, igubal® spherical bearings, DryLin® N linear guide systems and DryLin S aluminum shafting for use on its FIRST robot, as well as in other engineering-based competitions. Although a jester may be the team mascot, the Upper Darby students do not consider the challenges posed by the FIRST Robotics Competition a laughing matter. The veteran team, comprised of more than 40 students and 10 mentors, works year round on its FIRST robot, while also participating in community service projects and various educational endeavors. Since the group’s inception in 2000, Upper Darby students have competed in FIRST regionals in multiple states, including Pa., Texas, Fla. and Md. For the 2005 competition, iglide bearings were used in the robot’s wheels. Because iglide bearings are made of lightweight plastic, the team was able to meet crucial weight requirements set by FIRST. Upper Darby was so impressed by the performance of the igus products that for the 2006 event, the team requested 253 iglide bearings and DryLin S aluminum shafting to use on its robot, Jester. At the onset of the season, Upper Darby and 1,124 fellow FIRST teams were challenged to design, build and compete with a robot possessing a number of capabilities. For this year’s game, Aim High, alliances comprised of three robots battled one another to score points by shooting and rolling balls into goals located on and above the game floor. To accomplish this objective, Upper Darby set out to create a robot with superior offensive, defensive, ball-collecting and ball-shooting capabilities. The team used iglide Z bearings and DryLin S aluminum shafting in the robot’s dual-layered mecanum wheels, which were originally developed in 2004 and coined “Jester Drive.” Each of the four wheels uses 54 iglide Z bearings to aid the robot in achieving full holonomic movement, while at the same time making it more difficult for opposing robots to push the Jester around the game floor. Iglide Z is specifically designed for high-temperature applications, extreme loads and high surface speeds. Upper Darby students also used 34 igubal spherical bearings, DryLin N linear guide systems and DryLin S shafting on the robot’s ball-collecting mechanism. Igubal pillow blocks and rod ends enable the robot to pick up game balls from the floor and deliver them to its shooter to score additional points. Igubal spherical bearings are self-lubricating, maintenance-free and self-aligning, which saves time and eliminates repair work for the Upper Darby team. “All of the igus products performed flawlessly,” said Michael Crane, Upper Darby FIRST Robotics Team mentor. “ What a great motivator [the Y.E.S. Program is] for the kids. The relationship with igus makes it possible to be more creative.” At the Philadelphia FIRST regional, Upper Darby secured a slot for the Atlanta Championship and was honored with a number of awards, including the esteemed Chairman’s Award for best embodying the ideals of FIRST, the Woodie Flowers Award and the Delphi’s Driving Tomorrow’s Technology Award. In Florida, the students also delivered a solid performance, emerging as finalists in the competition and winning the Engineering Inspiration Award. Aside from FIRST, Upper Darby students have applied their originality to other engineering projects and were recently awarded the 2006 Lemelson-MIT InvenTeam Grant, which is funding their aspiration to create an omni-directional mecanum-wheel-driven wheelchair that aims to solve mobility problems faced by disabled people. The team has almost completed the wheelchair, which uses iglide Z bearings, and intends to showcase its revolutionary invention at MIT’s Inventeams Odyssey this June. To learn more about igus’ sponsorship of the FIRST Robotics Program, visit www.igus.com/yesprogram. To learn more about the Upper Darby High School FIRST Robotics team, go to www.team357.org. About igus Igus Inc., founded in 1985 and based in East Providence, R.I., develops and manufactures industry-leading plastic cable carriers, continuous-flex cables, plastic bearings and linear guide systems. With more than 28,000 products available from stock, the company meets the motion control and machinery component needs of customers worldwide. Product lines include Energy Chain Systems to protect and house moving cables, Chainflex continuous-flex cables, iglide self-lubricating, oil-free, plastic bearings, DryLin linear guide systems and igubal spherical bearings. For more information, contact igus at (800) 521-2747 or visit www.igus.com.