CABLE

Easy to assemble and easy to fill compact components that are even faster, more silent and more wear-resistant – those are only some of the trends regarding the dynamic supply of energy, data and media to mobile consumers. "The challenge, however," says Frank Blase, Managing Director at igus in Cologne, "is to develop customised solutions for many different applications, where the user can sit back and say: installed and forgotten, runs one hundred percent trouble-free." As the worldwide leading manufacturer of energy chain systems, including cables and bearings made of special plastic, this company is now presenting numerous product innovations and extensions at the Hanover Industrial Fair. The company sees development thrusts in the area of cable-bound chain systems but also in the case of inductive energy and wireless data transmission: "For more than one year, we have also been working on chainless solutions with great enthusiasm.
These solutions open up new options in many fields. The deeper we dive into detail depth," reports Blase, "the more certain we are about recognising with equal enthusiasm that energy chains plus special cables – mostly preharnessed and ready to be connected immediately – still have a very long life." According to the motto 'make it simple', permanent simplifications are an important factor at the moment – for applications but also for customer orders, as igus continues to offer new or upgraded Internet tools such as, e.g., online catalogues, product configurators, and service life calculations for 31 countries in 17 languages.

New: "T3 band chain", fast, silent, cleanroom-compatible

The Cologne company igus has now developed the "T3 band chain" as a new product for applications with very high speeds and accelerations. This lightweight energy supply system for short strokes runs extremely smoothly with minimum vibrations and virtually without making any noise at all ((33 dB(A) with 26.5 dB(A) background)). The side section bands with a length of 120 mm are injection-moulded directly in one piece. This reduces the manufacturing costs in the production and assembly divisions and means that the "T3 band chain" is affordable for the user. Immediately available from stock, the new energy chain was developed for applications in the electronics production industry, for measuring machines, high-speed handling systems, graphic machines or linear motor shafts. Components of the energy chain series "E6", for which another new intermediate size is now available with an inner height of 35 mm, can also be used. Both chains, the "E6" and the new "T3" band", are suitable for cleanrooms because they are virtually abrasion-free. The same applies to the "floating" magnetic energy chain "LeviChain", another option that has now been certified as cleanroom-compatible by the Fraunhofer IPA Institute. One year after the product launch, initial field tests are already being carried out in the electronics industry.

Series "E4.1" extended – all applications with only one energy chain

"Simplification with large variety ", says Managing Director Blase was also the guiding principle for the concept of the energy chain series "E4.1". The "E4.1" has kept igus design engineers busy for many years and "was certainly one of the most ambitious projects in the history of energy chains at igus," explains Blase. With the "E4.1", a family of energy chains to be opened at both ends is now available that, as a universal solution – now combines all the design ideas that were developed in the past few years for the series "E4", "E4/4", and "E4.100" in a single family. These design ideas, for example, are a bottom grip for massive lateral stability, for high thrust force over long travel distances, and for large unsupported lengths.
This also includes silent "brakes" and rubber nubs as additional noise-reducing options or also external and internal straps for fast assembly, with or without pretension. And everything dirt-repellent, with smooth, wear-resistant surfaces. A new development is the fast locking device of the opening links for effortless opening and closing of very full chains, easy to do using a screwdriver, for repairs or for fast retrofitting work. Like the new interior division versions, these new ideas stand for the trend to simplify processes even further and to provide users with flexibility in all situations.

New system "Guidelok", no swinging out at greater heights

Compact and easy to assemble, even later, also applies to this new component presented by igus in Hanover: "Guidelok", a system for vertical applications in which hanging chains always stay on track even in the event of massive transverse accelerations. Thanks to a new design trick, applications of this system in aisle stackers, lifts, inclined hoists or material conveying equipment no longer require expensive casings. The energy chain is held in place in the trough by two tilting levers automatically activated by the radius. This means that the energy chain cannot swing out or deflect to the side even on masts that are 40 metres high. In the "Guidelok" system, the energy chain captures itself. Assembly simplification is also the keyword for another innovation. For its aluminium trough system, igus has now developed a new fixed point screw-on plate so that no drilling work is required and connecting elements can be fastened directly inside the trough.

No more dirt: new roller energy chain "5050RHDAX"

Even over very long travel distances with extremely high filling weights, whether over 150 metres while being exposed to dirt in open-pit mining and in cement plants, or over 500 metres while being exposed to wind and saltwater in the ship-to-shore crane engineering industry, "solid plastic energy chains are in demand today," says Harald Nehring, Manager Energy Chain Systems.
Here, too, it's a question of still more safety and further simplifications under very severe ambient conditions. Available from stock immediately, for example, is the profile roller chain "P4", awarded the industry design award "iF Award 2007", with rollers divided into profiles. The divided rollers of the upper run move very silently at speeds of up to 10m/s instead of over the rollers of the lower run. Furthermore, igus has also developed a new heavy-duty roller energy chain "5050RHDAX". Here the limit stops are on the outside, and the gaps between the moving surfaces are very large in order to prevent clinging deposits of dust and dirt. Harald Nehring: "Condition monitoring for preventive protection against mechanical damage has also become an increasingly important element of large-scale energy chain systems." As one of several new versions, igus is now also offering "PPDS easy", a slimmed-down solution with, among other functions, automatic emergency shutdown in case of overload.

New: "Triflex R" for welding robots, mini-robots, 3-D cable "CF Robot"

According to igus, the trend of the past few years has finally captured the field of robotics, too, from the heavy production robots to the small palletising robots to be used for the protection of the highly stressed cables of multi-dimensional energy chains with defined limit stops for radius and torsion. At the Hanover Industrial Fair, the company presented two new sizes in its "Triflex R" product range. In compliance with customer demands, the "TRC/TRE.85" is now closed or open, which is ideal for welding applications. Also new is the "TRC/TRE.30", a version for narrow bending radii for 6-axis mini-robots. Frank Blase: "In the same way as for all energy chain solutions, we also develop the most functionally efficient cable for each application in the field of robotics in addition to the chain. For 3-D applications, the company now has the new "Chainflex CF Robot" in its product range. According to Blase, this shielded single-core cable has already been tested for +/- 270°C with more than three million torsional movements. Another new product, here for the crane engineering and materials handling industry, is the TPE optical fibre cable "CFLG.6G.TC". Tested at the igus in-house technical centre, this cable can supply cranes with data even in the Arctic regions.

New: transmitting energy inductively – "invis power" wear-free over hundreds of metres

As a leading supplier of components and systems for the dynamic supply of energy and data, igus is also treading new paths in the field of contactless technology. With "invis power", the company, according to Blasé, has now unveiled "a well-developed complete product family for inductive energy transmission" for lengths up to 400 metres. Here, too, in the same way as for the cable-bound systems, igus relies on the modular design principle. Instead of expensive, tedious projects, the customers receives a simple selection of components in order to implement one or several 'onboard sockets'. Contactless, and therefore without friction and wear, "invis power" offers maintenance-free outputs with a net efficiency of 92 to 94 percent that range from 5 to 40kVA depending on the requirements of the customer. "Inductive transmission paths can be useful," explains Frank Blase, "in extremely aggressive environments as, for example, in composting plants and in cleanrooms, where no abrasion whatsoever is permitted."

"invis data": industry-compatible radio system, new modular IP67 housing

For wireless data transmission, igus has now also developed a robust family for use outside the switch cabinet: "invis data". Solution number one: a high-frequency signal (e.g. USB 2.0 or FireWire 1394a/b) is converted into a light signal in a coupler, transmitted via glass OWG, and then the light is converted back into an electric signal and transported further via copper cable. This is the best way to transport large data quantities quickly, safely and inexpensively without any disturbance by electromagnetic fields. According to Blase, this makes sense in the case of long distances, where OWGs are superior to copper, and in extremely EMC-stressed environments. Solution number two refers to radio engineering products for transmission links up to 1,000 metres, a proprietary system, and for distances up to 20 metres, both with clear visibility. "As plastics developers, we have developed industry-compatible versions in which the printed circuit board is protected inside a sturdy, dirt-repellent housing," says Blase. "However, it is still only possible to transmit smaller data quantities by wireless system than by cable, and the radio-typical limitations caused by the transmission medium air still remain."

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