Reliable protection: energy chain in the processing industry

• What was needed: energy chain, cable
• Requirements: energy supply for very dusty environments, protection against sawdust and aluminium chips, optimised maintenance
• Products: e-chain® series  R2.40,  R2i.48,  TRE.40
  chainflex® control cable  CF880, data cable  CF240
• Industry: Processing industry, wood & aluminium
• Success for the customer: igus®®-guidance and -cable have guaranteed trouble-free continuous operation, reduction of plastic wear, extension of product service life for many years.

The application:
The machining centre is a 4-axis machine tool. It is used for processing wooden beams for the construction of pergolas and canopies.

Wooden beams are clamped on vacuum islands and a groove is milled on both sides. A dovetail construction element is produced from the front using a moulding cutter fixed at an angle. The working area of the grid table (vacuum) is 2,100 x 4,100 mm. Schmalz blocks enable working with swivelling electrospindle and angle machining unit on the Z-axis with 500 mm. OMRON drives with an output of 1.5 kW enable fast work with high dynamics. A vacuum pump with an output of 7.5 kW is used. The tool magazine and ATC electrospindle enable extensive programmes to be carried out on a 2,100 x 4,100 mm table. The indexable C-axis enables the use of an angle unit. The control system with dynamic path analysis allows travelling speeds of up to 100 m/min. and an acceleration of 10 m/s².

Our customer worked directly with our experts at an early stage to develop the best possible solution. They chose closed energy tubes from the R2.40 and R2i.48 series, which reliably protect the guided cables from mechanical damage caused by aluminium chips. The triflex® energy chain from the TRE.40 series ensures that the cables can be replaced quickly in the event of maintenance and offers secure guidance on the 4th axis in the 3D movement thanks to its high torsional strength. The system is equipped with chainflex® cables from the CF240 and CF880 series, which guarantee trouble-free continuous operation. The quality of the shielding of the signal cables eliminates the risk of interference despite the highly dynamic movements on all axes of the machine. By using the most suitable products for the application, the service life has been extended. Components need to be replaced much less frequently as plastic wear has been significantly reduced.