manus award 2023 open for entries

A record number of participants entered in 2021, with 582 submissions from 41 countries. The winners of the gold, silver, bronze and green manus award will receive prize money of up to €5000.

Whether it’s rubbish trucks, packaging machines or aircraft seating, engineers are increasingly relying on bearing solutions made of high-performance plastics.

The advantages are well-known: polymer bearings are lighter than metal bearings, improve energy efficiency, do not require additional lubricants thanks to integrated solid lubricants, and thus also reduce waste and protect the environment.

“We are always surprised by the applications our polymer bearings are now used across industries,” says Rob Dumayne, dry-tech director at igus UK. “To promote this constant adoption and to honour these innovative engineers, we are recognising the most interesting applications using polymer bearings solutions in industrial applications with the manus award 2023,”

Entries are now open and will be accepted up until 10 February 2023.

Every type of installation is acceptable, from series application to individual pieces. The only condition is that there must be at least one built prototype. An expert panel of judges from science, industry and the trade media will then award four prizes with up to €5000: the gold, silver and bronze award categories as well as the green manus award for the most sustainable application. The winners will receive their award at the Hannover Messe 2023.

igus has organised the manus award for 20 years and it is now the eleventh time. More than 3,000 applicants from all over the world have participated in the competition in recent years. With 582 submissions from 41 countries, the 10th anniversary of the award in 2021 had a record number of participants. The gold award was won by Kässbohrer Geländefahrzeug AG. In the four pendulum axles of the PowerBully tracked vehicle, the vehicle manufacturer ditched dirt-prone and maintenance-intensive metal plain bearings and switched to polymer plain bearing bushings of the iglidur TX1 material.

igus had manufactured and tested the polymer bushings in unprecedented dimensions for this application. Finbin won the green manus, where the Finnish company has developed an electric rubbish bin that uses solar energy to compact waste. Dirt-resistant and lubricant-free plain bearings made of the tribologically optimized plastic iglidur G are used in the hatch, pedal and transmission linkage of the barrel.

Conditions of participation, entry applications and an overview of previous winners can be found at www.igus.co.uk/info/manus-award