Last Tuesday, igus and CADENAS hosted an Engineering Round Table in Cologne. The goal of the event was to foster dialogue among engineers, design engineers, and experts from igus and CADENAS, and to provide insights into new technologies in the fields of product development, manufacturing, and digital component search.
The event took place at the igus Training Center and brought together participants from various fields, including mechanical engineering, food service technology, fixture design, special-purpose machine construction, prototyping, and test bench control. In addition to engineers, key account managers and managing directors also attended the event. After an initial round of introductions, Dr. Thilo Schultes, CEO of Operations at igus, provided a brief overview of the company and its underlying philosophy. igus SE & Co. KG specializes in engineering plastics for motion.
A Look at Production
Equipped with safety shoes, all guests took part in a tour of the igus factory following the presentation. There, they gained insights into the production of a wide range of products, such as energy chains, plastic plain bearings, robotics and automation components, linear guides, and other solutions. It was particularly exciting to get a behind-the-scenes look at the extensive testing and inspection procedures.
The tour of the additive manufacturing facility drew a great deal of attention. Many participants are already interested in 3D printing in their personal lives, and some even own their own 3D printers. This made it all the more exciting for them to see how igus applies the technology in an industrial setting. The applications and production possibilities presented led to numerous questions and lively discussions.
Round Table I: User-Centered Product Development
Following the factory tour, Nora Urru, UX Designer & Usability Engineer at igus, provided insights into user-centered development of digital products. The focus was on how companies can incorporate their customers’ requirements and expectations into the development process at an early stage. Practical examples made it clear that successful products aren’t created behind closed doors, but rather through continuous dialogue with the people who will actually use them later on.
Round Table II: Intelligent Component Search and Reuse
After a hearty lunch, Karolina Braun, Account Manager for ENTERPRISE 3Dfindit at CADENAS GmbH, presented the 3Dfindit and ENTERPRISE 3Dfindit solutions during the second part of the roundtable. Using typical challenges faced by engineers and designers as examples, she demonstrated how companies can find parts more quickly, reuse existing components, and avoid duplicate designs.
One participant described a common real-world problem: “I often know what I need, but I don’t know what to search for.” The sketch search feature was introduced for such use cases: Using a simple sketch, users can roughly draw parts and find matching components, even if neither the name nor the part number is known.
Many participants were previously unfamiliar with the ENTERPRISE 3Dfindit software solution, so there was correspondingly high interest in the search options and use cases presented.
Workshops and Networking
The final part of the event offered participants the opportunity to network and exchange technical insights with one another. At two test stations, participants were also able to thoroughly examine an early prototype of the igus AI search bot and provide valuable feedback even while it was still in the development phase.
Highlights from the Engineering Round Table
English