Innovation in Motion: Composite Polymer Gears Deliver Lightweight, Maintenance-Free Solutions
Machine Design checked in at the igus booth at Pack Expo to speak to Josiah Aultman during Pack Expo 2025 in Las Vegas back in October.
As the Packaging Industry Manager in North America for igus, Aultman was the go-to subject matter expert to guide us on their gear portfolio.
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For starters, Aultman said that the gears are crafted from composite polymers. At igus, they’re known as iglide materials and result in high-performance, tribologically-optimized components.
“We’ve designed these specifically for moving applications, and we have calculators to be able to predict your service life in all sorts of moving applications,” Aultman said.
Rack-and-Pinion Versatility
Holding up a pinion gear as an example, Aultman explained that pinion and spur gears, which are used in a broad range of mechanical systems, deliver precise control over speed, torque and position. They can be arranged gear-to-gear to achieve different ratios. Some customers have even engineered their own gearboxes to achieve specific gear ratios, he said. In these scenarios, they are able to create tailored motion profiles and optimize system performance.
For projects that call for rotary-to-linear motion—or vice versa—igus also offers precision racks to offset the pinions.
“I’ve seen these on end-of-arm tooling all over the show floor for various pick-head spreads,” he explained. The lightweight design is especially important in keeping payloads low and ensuring the best performance.
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Customers will also use rack-and-pinion systems in the material handling and packaging industry, especially lane-guide changeovers on conveyors. This is where quick adjustments and reliability make a big difference.
Injection-Molded Precision
All standard gear offerings manufactured at igus are injection molded. Igus offers a range of custom parts as needed, and when production volumes increase, the company can transition into injection molding to help reduce costs.
The benefits speak for themselves: “Some of the biggest benefits of our gear offerings in general are: no lubrication is necessary; they’re corrosion resistant; and lightweight—which can be a big advantage in a lot of applications."
About the Author
Rehana Begg
Editor-in-Chief, Machine Design
As Machine Design’s content lead, Rehana Begg is tasked with elevating the voice of the design and multi-disciplinary engineer in the face of digital transformation and engineering innovation. Begg has more than 24 years of editorial experience and has spent the past decade in the trenches of industrial manufacturing, focusing on new technologies, manufacturing innovation and business. Her B2B career has taken her from corporate boardrooms to plant floors and underground mining stopes, covering everything from automation & IIoT, robotics, mechanical design and additive manufacturing to plant operations, maintenance, reliability and continuous improvement. Begg holds an MBA, a Master of Journalism degree, and a BA (Hons.) in Political Science. She is committed to lifelong learning and feeds her passion for innovation in publishing, transparent science and clear communication by attending relevant conferences and seminars/workshops.
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