Effective immediately, igus has started accepting submissions for the manus award 2023. The plastic specialist has been holding the ceremony every two years for the last 20 years, honouring the most creative, economical and sustainable uses of plain plastic bearings in industrial applications. The year 2021 witnessed a record number of participants with 582 submissions from 41 countries. The winners of the gold, silver, bronze and green manus awards will receive prize money of up to €5,000.
Plain bearings made of high-performance plastics are being extensively used by engineers irrespective of whether the product is a garbage truck, a packaging machine or an aircraft seat. As far as advantages are concerned, polymer bearings are lighter than metal bearings. It helps to improve energy efficiency, without requiring any additional lubricants, instead using solid lubricants that protect the environment. "We are always surprised at the applications in which our polymer bearings are now used across industries," says Tobias Vogel, CEO -Plain Bearings & Linear Technology, igus. "To promote this positive development and reward innovative engineers, we are honouring the most innovative uses of polymer plain bearings in industrial applications with the manus award 2023," he added.
igus will accept submissions until 10th February 2023. Everything is possible, from series applications to custom pieces. The only requirement: there must be at least one finished prototype. A jury of experts from science, industry and specialist media will then award the four prizes. The future winners will receive their awards at Hannover Messe 2023.
Increasing popularity
The next year will mark igus hosting the manus award for the 11th time. An estimated 3,000 applicants from all across the globe have participated in the competition in the recent years. The golden manus was awarded to Kässbohrer Geländefahrzeug AG.
In the four oscillating axles of the PowerBully track vehicle, the vehicle manufacturer declined the use of dirt-prone and maintenance-intensive metal plain bearings and instead opted for polymer iglidur TX1-type plain bearing bushings. For this application, igus manufactured and tested the polymer bushings in previously unheard-of dimensions. Finbin, a Finnish company, developed a dustbin that uses solar energy to compact waste, further earning the green manus. The company used dirt-resistant and lubrication-free plain bearings made from tribologically optimised plastic iglidur G in the hatch, pedal and transmission linkage of the bin.
