Save resources at full steam: Innovative automated cleaning machine makes coffee kitchens more sustainable

Team IIGA
December 20, 2021

The auum-S saves energy, water, and waste - igus bearing technology provides a hygienic sliding and rotating mechanism in the machine

The problem is well known in offices: dirty coffee mugs piling up in the sink. But the staff don't like washing the dishes and, instead, resort to throwaway cups.

In order to avoid this waste, auum, a French company, has developed a compact automatic cleaning machine. It cleans glasses in just a few seconds with steam at 140°C. Bearing technology requiring no lubrication or maintenance ensures a maintenance-free and hygienic cleaning function.

Each year, 2.8 billion disposable cups are used in Germany alone. Many of them are used in coffee vending machines in companies because they are practical. This means that the coffee or tea drinker always has a clean cup at hand and dirty cups do not pile up in the sink. But auum wants to show that there is another solution and that the number of disposable cups can be reduced. auum stands for "arrètons l'usage unique maintenant." (Let's stop single use immediately) They have developed the auum-S, a space-saving steam glass washer. For the cleaning mechanism, the developers rely on igus plain bearing technology that requires no lubrication or maintenance.

Hygienic and compact

The auum-S is designed for sustainability: It uses very little electricity, hardly any water from the integrated water tank and takes up very little space (50x50x20cm). The machine cleans, disinfects and dries a glass in ten seconds with only 5cl of water. The steam comes out at over 140°C, killing all bacteria without using chemicals. Users place the container in the beautifully designed machine and a dome slides over the glass, completely encapsulating the container. Steam cleans and sanitizes the glass and a stream of air dries it. Once this step is complete, the dome lifts again so that the user can remove the glass. igus linear technology is integrated into the sliding mechanism. drylin SLW ensures smooth dome opening and closing.

"The bearing technology had to meet our robustness, reliability and minimal maintenance requirements. Freedom from lubricants was also a requirement, for reasons of hygiene," says Clément Hullier, auum's Managing Director.

In initial tests, the igus tribo-polymer technology proved to be the best solution: It allowed low-friction dry operation without external lubricants and the bearings are quiet and wear-resistant. These advantages helped the developers to decide to use plain bearing bushings made of iglidur J in the glass rotation axis.

ABOUT IGUS

igus GmbH develops and produces motion plastics. These lubrication-free, high-performance polymers improve technology and reduce costs wherever things move. In energy supplies, highly flexible cables, plain and linear bearings as well as lead screw technology made of tribo-polymers, igus is the worldwide market leader. The family-run company based in Cologne, Germany, is represented in 35 countries and employs 4,150 people across the globe. In 2020, igus generated a turnover of €727 million. Research in the industry's largest test laboratories constantly yields innovations and more security for users. 234,000 articles are available from stock and the service life can be calculated online. In recent years, the company has expanded by creating internal startups, e.g. for ball bearings, robot drives, 3D printing, the RBTX platform for Lean Robotics and intelligent "smart plastics" for Industry 4.0. Among the most important environmental investments are the "chainge" programme – recycling of used e-chains - and the participation in an enterprise that produces oil from plastic waste (Plastic2Oil).

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