igus improves the performance of agricultural machines

Brazil is one of the largest producers of agricultural products in the world. Every year, millions of tons of soybeans, grain, sugar cane, ethanol or coffee are harvested.

For this, a lot of machines are needed. igus® parts help improve the performance of agricultural machines such as field sprayers, hay sprayers, tractors etc. Especially in agricultural applications, you need solutions that can stand up to rough conditions, such as dirt, shock and edge loads. The absence of lubricants and a long service life are equally important, which makes igus® bearings the perfect solution for any kind of agricultural machine.

Kuhn is one of the leading manufacturers of farming machinery. The company was founded in 1828 and nowadays has more than 3000 employees.

We left Sao Paulo and made our way South. On the way, we passed Curitiba, the biggest city in Southern Brazil with around 1.7 million habitants. Curitiba was an official city for the FIFA World Cup, where several matches took place such as Spain vs. Australia or Ecuador vs. Honduras.

The stadium, which provided space for 4000 fans, is equipped with thousands of chairs that comprise of self-lubricating iglidur® GLW bearings.

Each of the newer white chairs has six igus® bearings, two that ensure the motion whereas four are at fixed points.

iglidur® GLW is a very cheap, self-lubricating bearing for mass production. It is mostly used in applications with static load, where the bearings are just moving occasionally.

The older chairs are to be replaced soon. In the match plastic vs. metal, plastic is ahead and about to win. We also had the chance to take the car onto the field.

If you are one of the few followers that is able to understand Portuguese, check out the article of the residing football team Atlético Paranaense: http://www.atleticoparanaense.com/site/noticias/detalhe/34937/Carro-da-Igus-que-passar-por-30-pases-esteve-na-Arena.

After and before matches, fans were able to relax at the nearby botanical garden.

From Curitiba we travelled further South to Joinville. Joinville, not very well-known to most people, is THE city for those interested in ballet.

Joinville has the only subsidy of the very famous Bolshoi ballet academy (Moscow).

Here, they have students from all over South America. Once the dancer has passed the selective test (they take 40 of about 500 applicants), the school will pay for the accommodation as well as the flat and living costs of the student.

Joinville is not only famous for this school, but also marks the beginning of a part of Brazil that is full of Germans.

Brazilians with German descendents are living in the entire country but the overwhelming majority lives south of Sao Paulo. If you consider all German dialects together, then they make up the second most spoken first language in Brazil after Portuguese. The Brazilian government conducted a census in 2000, which came to the result that about 12 million citizens have German roots. The first Germans settled there in the 19th century. The failed German revolutions of 1848 resulted in a wave of German immigrants. Many of them arrived in the state Santa Catarina, where they founded the cities Joinville, Pomerode and Blumenau.

Nowadays, Pomerode is considered the most German city as about fifty percent of the citizens can speak German.

German is still the first language they learn in school along with German traditions, such as the annual “Pommernfest”, that they have been keeping alive for decades.

Some of the citizens even have gnomes in their garden, which is very German indeed, and many of the old houses are half-timbered.

The following house is the oldest in Pomerode and built in 1860.

Not far from Pomerode is the bigger city Blumenau. Once in a year, the “Deutsche Ville Park” is the venue for the third largest Oktoberfest worldwide.

We were able to present the car at the entrance. Many people were curious about the car driving around the world, with even the princesses of the last Oktoberfest showing up for a picture.

Currently, we are on the way to Florianopolis with the route leading along the coast. On the way, we passed by this stunning beach.

I will keep you up to date,

yours Sascha.