Winner of the Silver manus® 2023: Aufratech

Description of application

A man cleans a narrow stone staircase between two stone walls with a pressure washer.

Industry: Work equipment - Exoskeleton for cleaning surfaces with a high-pressure cleaner

Customer requirement: Corrosion and maintenance-free bearing points to protect the clothing from dirt and for high reliability

Solution from igus®: drylin® linear technology and iglidur® bearings

The company Aufratech received the silver manus® 2023 for the use of drylin® linear technology and iglidur® bearings in this application.

Whether in food technology, landscaping or agriculture - people who work with high-pressure cleaners in the industry know the problem: the devices are often so heavy that back pain is inevitable. Aufratech provides relief. The French company has developed EXO N, an exoskeleton for users of high-pressure cleaning tools. The aim was to offer a reliable, robust and efficient solution that protects the health of users.

The centrepiece of the skeleton is therefore a control system that allows the user to guide the attached lances with a straight back. The engineers have succeeded in realising a streamlined design. This is because they have grouped as many functions as possible around a drylin® aluminium shaft with drylin® R linear plain bushes and corrosion-free iglidur ® J3 polymer plain bearings from igus® - including the translation and rotation guide.

Another advantage: With its hollow structure, the AWMR-25 shaft enables the integration of the hydraulic control hose and the steel lance for the water discharge. This makes it possible to move the valve body to the rear of the lance and thus achieve a balanced position of the system around the user's centre of gravity. Finally, the polymer materials of the bearing and guide bushes also dissipate vibrations. This ensures greater comfort when using the system.

More information on iglidur® plain bearings

More information about drylin® linear technology