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55thanniversary


MATERIALS IN DESIGN & PROTOTYPING FEATURE 60 years of reinvention


bearings range reflects this same shift: practical responses to tightening regulations and environmental expectations. Digital tools have quietly changed engineering


workflows too. Online configurators, service life calculators and robotic cell planners allow teams to validate designs before anything reaches the shop floor, reducing trial and error and levelling the playing field for smaller manufacturers. One of the most notable developments is the


RBTX marketplace by igus, which brings together cobots, modular robotic systems, and automation components at accessible price points. For many SMEs, this has turned robotics from a long-term ambition into a practical reality.


Looking to the future Looking ahead, igus sees motion plastics continuing to evolve in three key directions: 1. Predictive maintenance and condition monitoring will allow energy chains, cables and bearings to monitor their own wear, predict failure, and integrate seamlessly with Industry 4.0 systems.


2. Sustainable materials demand greater use of recycled polymers, bio-based materials, and closed loop manufacturing processes


as environmental performance becomes a core engineering requirement.


3. Accessible automation and robotics will continue to become simpler, more modular, and even more affordable, enabling even the smallest manufacturers to automate repetitive or labour intensive tasks.


Across all three trends, igus motion


plastics remain central: lightweight, efficient, and sustainable alternatives to traditional engineering materials.


igus www.igus.co.uk


Is your product or service getting worldwide exposure?


In addition to the regular users of Design Solutions we receive 9,000 new users each year across the globe from Japan to the USA, from China to Germany and many more.


Want to be part of the action? Then contact Jordan Tait | 01622 699 139 | jtait@datateam.co.uk www.designsolutionsmag.co.uk JULY/AUGUST 2026 DesiGn sOLUtiOns 1971-2026 29


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