igus Celebrates National Robotics Week at the Robot Block Party

At the end of this week, which is National Robotics Week 2015, igus will celebrate by exhibiting at the Rhode Island Robot Block Party. The plastic bearings leader -- which also makes cables, cable carriers, linear bearings, and linear guides -- will demonstrate its robot-related products at the event and provide robot giveaways to lucky winners during the event on Saturday, April 11.

The second-annual Robot Block Party will take place at Brown University's Pizzitola Sports Center, between 12 p.m. and 4 p.m.. The event is free and open to the public. It's hosted by the Rhode Island School of the Future and the Humanity Centered Robotics Initiative at Brown. The non-profit Rhode Island Students of the Future uses youth robotics to engage young people in science, technology, engineering, math (STEM) and manufacturing through youth robotics.

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More than 50 hands-on exhibits, demonstrations, and displays will be available at the party from schools, universities, companies, and non-profit organizations around the area, including Brown, the New England Institute of Technology, and Hasbro's Animatronics Lab. Although this is a STEM event, all ages are welcome. The demonstrations and exhibit are focused on helping everyone, not just kids, discover how robots are being used in education, toy design, and manufacturing. You can find out more about the event and register for free tickets here.

igus' products for robotic systems are used by thousands of machine designers around the world. They include DryLin E linear axis systems with integrated motor, Robolink modular robotic joints, Chainflex continuous-flex cables, Energy Chain cable carriers, and Triflex multi-axis cable carriers.

A recent innovation is the Triflex RSP multi-axis cable carrier system with adjustable pneumatic retraction, which I saw in action a couple months ago at the Pacific Design & Manufacturing Show. The system is designed to securely guide cables on large robot arms or on robots that are performing complex movements. The pneumatic retraction system adjusts to the robot's movements as it twists and turns, safely guiding even cable packages containing complex assortments of cables and hoses. The amount of retraction force can be adjusted by changing pneumatic pressure. The carriers can be quickly and easily attached and detached from a variety of robot models. The system is also very lightweight, and not at all bulky.

Design engineers, New England's premier design and manufacturing event, Design & Manufacturing New England, will take place in Boston, May 6-7, 2015. A Design News event, Design & Manufacturing New England is your chance to meet qualified suppliers, get hands-on with the latest technologies, be informed, and expand your network. Learn more here.

Ann R. Thryft is senior technical editor, materials & assembly, for Design News. She's been writing about manufacturing- and electronics-related technologies for 25 years, covering manufacturing materials & processes, alternative energy, machine vision, and all kinds of communications.