3D Printed Polymer Parts in Customer Applications

Maintenance crew uses 3D printed replacement motor gear for tractor

"That works like a well-oiled machine - only better!" The broken gear of a tractor used by igus was reverse-engineered and printed within a few hours.

For repair of the roof-mounted water cannons of airport fire-extinguishing vehicles, the maintenance technicians of Fraport AG found cost-effective replacement parts in the form of printed gears made of iglide i3 that satisfied the high load-capacity requirements.

A 3D printed gear improved tolerances and ensured smooth "floating".

A complex bevel gear was required for the drive unit of a dispenser. The dosing unit's small installation space meant that only 3D printed components could be used, since they were able to meet the complex geometry and requirements.

To allow long exposures in astrophotography, a device with a gear and motor was developed to counteract the Earth's rotation. The gear made of iglide i150 ensures precision and stability.

Because the manufacturer was unable to supply spare parts for his e-bike's gearbox, the customer had igus print gears made of iglide i3. The result is improved performance and complete satisfaction.

Even after it had been in use for more than 2,000 miles in a vintage car, the customer was unable to detect any signs of wear on the replicated intermediate shaft with toothed gear made of iglide i6.

Robust pinion with special dimensions delivered in less than 72 hours iglide i6 in use in a racing car as a chain tensioner in the chain drive.

_"A high degree of flexibility and fast delivery times are crucial when it comes to prototype construction. It is exactly these qualities that we like about using the igus online configurator to select gears from a wide variety of different types and have them printed quickly. " -_Easelink founder Hermann Stockinger

The standard metal pinion generates a lot of noise when in use. After two months of use in two wheels , the replacement part made of iglide i3 has reduced the noise output considerably.

Waste separating robot application that uses 3D printed iglide® plain bearings

For an AI-controlled waste separation system, the company ZenRobotics needed plain bearings with a special geometry. Thanks to the igus print2mold process, the components could be produced quickly and more cost-effectively.

3D printed lead screws for automatically adjustable tray in coffee machines

Until now, the fully automated coffee machine cup tray was adjusted to the cup size by hand. To fully automate tray adjustment, the project team from Maschinenbauschule Ansbach, a mechanical engineering educational institution, developed a motor-driven moveable cup tray with sensor-controlled height adjustment.

3D printed lead screws as a replacement in spooling textile machines

For a winding machine, Conti Tech Schlauch GmbH needed a cross-threaded spindle  that ensures that the thread is laid directly or by means of thread guidance through the groove. The solution previously used necessitated the regular replacement of individual components, which were difficult to obtain and were also cost-intensive due to the complicated geometry of the cross-threaded spindle.