Components for vertical farming

Lightweight, lubrication-free, cost-effective

Less land required for growing fruit and vegetables is just one of the advantages of vertical farming. Conventional arable land is relieved, closed systems save water and cultivation and harvesting are possible all year round. Clever cultivation at height harbours many possibilities for automation. We have the right and affordable components to equip small projects or large farms. Our energy chains and cables guide data and media safely upwards even in the smallest installation spaces, weigh little and are easy to install. Slide bearings and linear bearings made of high-performance plastic are FDA-compliant, the gearbox modules are fully compatible with the linear modules and our 5-axis robot arm robolink® can withstand a lot of work and even splash water.

Advantages of igus products:

FDA-compliant
Lubrication-free
Corrosion-free
Dirt-resistant
Cost-effective
Predictable service life
Lightweight
Quiet

Applications in vertical farming

Vertical energy supply system

guidelok swing energy chain for vertical energy supply, especially for storage and retrieval units
Designed for particularly tight installation spaces
Significantly more cost-effective than a complete enclosure
Available as screwed, glued and plugged versions

Overview of guidelok energy supply

Horizontal energy supply

micro flizz system as an alternative to the busbar system
Guides power, data and media
Possible operating speeds of up to 6m/s at high accelerations
Compact dimensions
drylin ZLW linear axes for positioning tasks
Available with e-stepper and DC motors
Suitable for tight installation spaces

More information about micro flizz

More information about ZLW linear axes

Linear movements

E2.1 energy chains

Quiet, strong and quick to fill
Standard in the medium load range
drylin linear guides
Use in dry operation
Predictable service life

More information on the E2.1 energy chain series

More information about linear guides

Pick & place robotics

Delta robot

Reach of up to 700mm
Payload of up to 5kg
Up to 3 degrees of freedom
Supplied with igus cobot software
From €3,290.24

More information about delta robots

Other relevant products

Lightweight and resistant to moisture

42% lower inertia and 48% lighter than comparable metal bearings
Self-lubricating and maintenance-free

xiros ball bearings

Drive axis for over 30m travel

Modular system
Driven by gear racks or toothed belts
Available as a complete system with carriages, motors and control system

drylin endless gear module

Set up in under an hour

AMR for around €30,000
Includes integrated fleet management
Can be loaded with 50kg and pull up to 100kg

ReBeL Move AMR

Supplied ready with connector

Designed for the requirements in SRU
Over 1,300 control, motor, data cables and more
UL-certified and with a 4-year guarantee

chainflex cables

Highly resilient and low-maintenance

Available as V-, L- and U-profiles
Lightweight
Different materials available

iglidur® guide rollers

From a batch size of 1 to high-volume production

Longer service life than gears made from commercially available plastics
Free from lubrication and maintenance

Plastic gears

PTFE-free and FDA-compliant

Free from lubrication and maintenance
Predictable service life
More than 10,000 installation sizes

iglidur plain bearings

Automatic format adjustments

Manual or motorised drive possible
Flexible and repeatable adjustment of lane width

Apiro modular gearbox system

Advantages of vertical farming ...

Saves space by freeing up areas of conventional farmland
All-season harvesting, independent and flexible
Low transport and storage costs
Saves water due to closed cycles

... with the advantages of our motion plastics

No external lubrication, no maintenance, no contamination of the products
Resistant to dirt and dust
Corrosion-free and FDA-compliant
Fast ROI thanks to cost-effective automation components

Success stories

Cable guidance for spray robots in greenhouses

CombaGroup operates a unique aeroponic greenhouse for lettuce. Our E2/000 energy chain supplies the energy and media for this system.

Find out more about this application

FDA-compliant energy chains in mushroom-harvesting system

Axis Technology and Development Ltd has developed a harvesting system for mushrooms that can handle several process steps in the harvesting process. Due to its FDA conformity, the TH3 energy chain was used for the energy supply.

Find out more about this application

Tested for real use in the test laboratory

All products are tested for wear and load capacity under real conditions in the igus test laboratory, the largest in the industry. The results are used as a basis for our tools that calculate service life and allow for precise predictions about durability.

Upon request, igus also carries out customer tests under very individual conditions.

More about the igus test laboratory