The solution: 3D-printed grippers from iglidur filaments
Problem
Carecos Kosmetik GmbH faced the following problem: if a product had to be changed, the company had to have new grippers made for the packaging machines which would grip the lids and screw them onto jars. The company had previously opted for elaborate machining of grippers made from aluminium. That cost up to 10,000 euros per part, and took about six weeks to manufacture. That is too long to wait in an industrial sector, where at the beginning of the era of the Internet of Things it is increasingly important to be able to economically produce even small batches.
Solution
Due to the high costs and the long production time of the metal grippers, Carecos Kosmetik GmbH initially tried to 3D print the grippers with standard plastics such as ABS and PLA. However, the printing processes did not provide satisfactory results. So they turned to igus and with the tribologically-optimised I150 filament, they found an extremely stable and simultaneously impact-resistant material for 3D printing, with which a gripper can be printed within 10 to 12 hours.
