Lubrication-free linear guides for maintenance-free spice vending machines

• What was needed: three linear guides for the axis of the vending machine
• Requirements: Suitable for food, high service life, jerk-free
• Area of application: vending machinery

Direct application of acquired knowledge: Participants in the Student Engineer Academy have this opportunity, including the five students from Rosenstein Gymnasium in Heubach. Together with the training workshop at EMAG LaserTec GmbH, they have built a spice vending machine for the supermarket that speeds up the selection and purchasing process.

In order for the system to remove the right spice from the vending machine, the team of inventors needed durable and smooth linear guides for the axis. The idea was to use a belt drive to drive the z-axis. The challenge: finding a linear guide that absorbs the high vibrations. In addition, the components had to be suitable for use in the food industry and should have the longest possible service life.

The students contacted igus® and found the perfect solution: three linear guides from the drylin® W modular system. They ensure that all compartments are easily accessible so that the corresponding spice can be removed and dispensed. The tribo-plastic sliding elements in the guide carriages are completely free of external lubricants and are suitable for use in the food sector. In addition, without lubricating greases, dirt does not accumulate on the linear carriage and block the guidance. The guidance can easily absorb the shrinkage on the z-axis.