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The Wide World of Cable Carriers

EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. – igus® announced the results of its worldwide cable carrier competition at this year’s Hanover show. The winners were awarded their prizes during a reception at the igus booth.

There were around 80 entries for the first Vector Awards two years ago, which was only open to European entrants. In contrast, this year more than 110 entries were submitted from all over the world: from China, India, Korea, and Singapore, to the USA, Canada and Brazil, and right across Europe.

The gold award and €5,000 prize money went to the Czech power supplier CEZ Group for the longest travel in the world ever to be accomplished with a plastic cable carrier: 2,018 feet in a lignite-fired power plant in Tušimice. A heavy-duty roller cable carrier system from igus’ 5050 RHD series is installed on the conveyer unit of the lignite excavator, which operates in extremely demanding conditions. Roller cable carriers, developed by igus for long distances, have been in use around the world for more than ten years.

CEZ Group says the robust system – which is also equipped with igus’ Chainflex® continuous-flex cables – makes a significant contribution to operational safety. System downtimes caused by cable breakage, for example, have been reduced to zero compared with before.

The jury awarded the silver Vector Award to the National Mineral Development Corp. Ltd. (NMDC) in Hyderabad, India. The state company belongs to the Ministry of Steel and carries out exploration work, among other things.

NMDC use a 61-feet long plastic cable carrier system with a rearward bending radius (RBR) on a bucket-wheel reclaimer in a steel mine. The reclaimer can rotate by +/- 180 degrees, while operating in an area that is difficult to access. The loads the cable carrier must withstand are enormous: the cables in the cable carrier alone weigh over 36 pounds per foot.

The heavy steel chain used previously in this application was damaged after just two years. According to NMDC, the igus cable-carrier system has been running reliably and with little maintenance and no downtime since its installation.

The bronze Vector Award and €1,000 prize money went to Rene Petsch, a design engineer from Deckel Maho Seebach GmbH. In this application, a traveling column milling machine underwent advanced development to make it more accurate, adaptable and economical than its predecessor. The rigid machine bed made from composite mineral and the symmetrical traveling column were to ensure improved precision.

To keep the design space compact, the Y and Z-axes of the machine use just one cable carrier: System E4.1 from igus. The E4.1 system ensures higher lateral stability, which was necessary due to the high lateral acceleration through the X-axis of 26 feet per second². The cable carrier was attached in an upright position with the run bent in at one side.

All the cable carriers applications submitted can be found on the competition website at www.vector-award.com. Video content is also available for certain entries.

The Vector competition was run in conjunction with the German Central Association for Electrical Engineering and Industry (ZVEI), the tooling laboratory (WZL) of the RWTH Aachen and TÜV Rhineland. The Vector Award is under the patronage of the Industrial Automation sector of the Hanover show.

igus
www.igus.com

KABELSCHLEPP integrated into Tsubaki Group

KABELSCHLEPP and Tsubaki Group have been close cooperative partners for more than 40 years. With this integration, both companies will leverage their successful working relationship in one strategic global partnership. The objective: KABELSCHLEPP becomes a member of global Tsubaki Group. Thus, putting together what has long fit together.

The Tsubaki Group, based in Japan, operates three successful worldwide divisions. The cable carrier systems will be globally lead by KABELSCHLEPP. This new corporate constellation offers both companies and their customers a wide variety of immediate advantages and synergies.

These advantages for our customers are significant. KABELSCHLEPP now has access to a vast network of more than 40 international subsidiaries, an expanded product portfolio as well as synergies in product development and distribution.

KABELSCHLEPP
www.kabelschlepp.com

Tsubaki Group
www.tsubakimoto.com

Cable Carrier Competition

EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. – igus® is running its Vector® competition for a second time to reward challenging applications using cable carrier systems.

The first competition only accepted submissions from European companies, but the contest is open to entrants worldwide this time around. This gives North American cable-carrier users the chance to participate for the first time.

The winners of the Vector awards will be rewarded with cash prizes up to 5,000 Euros at the Hanover Fair from April 19th-23rd 2010, although entrants do not have to be at the awards ceremony to be eligible to win.

Entry forms and additional information can be found at www.vector-award.com. The final date for entries is February 28, 2010.

Cable carriers—also widely known as Energy Chains®, cable tracks, cable chains and drag chains—are the umbilical cord of modern machines and ensure the safe supply of energy, data and other media. Cable carriers are suitable for multi-purpose use in the crane and machine-tool industries, as well as in robotics, cleanrooms, material handling, and more.

igus
www.igus.com

Interconnect Motor Cables for Continuous-flex Applications

EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Cable carrier expert, igus®, has developed a line of continuous-flex, interconnect motor cables harnessed in accordance with leading manufacturers, including Siemens, Indramat, Fanuc, and Allen Bradley. As with all Chainflex® cables, these interconnects are ideal for continuous-flexing applications in an Energy Chain® cable carrier.

The cables are available for drive, control, motor and robotic functions and come equipped with different cable connectors, including those with flying leads, adapter plugs and extensions.

igus’ entire line of Chainflex cables can handle tight bending radii in dynamic applications and are tested over millions of cycles in all types of conditions to ensure optimal performance.

igus
www.igus.com

Total Chip Protection for Machine Tools

EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Metal chips can cause abrasion and wear in long travel, gliding cable carrier applications. To combat this, igus® has developed a horizontal guiding system called “Guidelok”, which is designed to keep the upper and lower cable carrier runs apart. The new solution is ideal for applications in the machine tool industry up to 164 feet.

Debris and chips can become trapped between a cable carrier’s upper and lower runs as they glide on top of one another. Guidelok’s design keeps the upper and lower runs separate via a spring-loaded roller support, which is pushed back as the cable carrier passes through, before snapping out again after the radius has passed. The upper run rests on the roller support and is not allowed to glide on the lower run.

The system not only works to reduce abrasion and wear caused by trapped chips and debris, but also offers a number of other advantages. The system means the cable carrier can support itself over a longer distance. This enables users to choose a smaller version for the given length, saving overall costs and reducing the required push-/pull driving force. Guidelok keeps the upper and lower runs of the cable carrier separate from one another, which helps to minimize friction and wear and thereby increases service life.

The horizontal Guidelok system is already being used successfully by one machine-tool manufacturer, who replaced a heavy steel chain with this solution. A more traditional solution would have allowed large metal chips to settle in the inner radius between the upper and lower runs of the cable carrier, which could have caused damage. In contrast, the new system is ideal for such applications. Guidelok is also lower cost than most steel chains or sophisticated gliding systems.

New Guidelok is designed to be modular—the side troughs are optional—and is currently available from igus North America with a three week lead time. A movie illustrating the new design can be found at www.igus.com/ApplicationCorner/ec_videos.asp. Alternatively, call 1-800-521-2747 or e-mail sales@igus.com for more information.

igus Inc.
www.igus.com

ESD Cable Carriers from KABELSCHLEPP

When manufacturing and processing electronic components, electrostatic discharge (ESD = ElectroStatic Discharge) presents a serious hazard for the sensitive electronics. In addition, the increasing miniaturization of semiconductor components means even greater sensitivity to ESD.

Even More Conductive! ESD cable carriers satisfy tomorrow´s requirements. Thanks to the new
ESD material KABELSCHLEPP cable carriers are now even more conductive and with a surface resistivity of ≤
105 ohms surpass by far the requirements contained in the ESD standard (DIN EN 61340)

Improved protection against electrostatic discharge is thus necessary for not only for the materials and tools used, but also for cable carriers However this can be achieved during handling and assembly only if the plastic cable carriers used have an even lower surface or volume resistivity.

To provide this, KABELSCHLEPP is relying on nanotechnology. The material used in the new ESD cable carriers incorporates carbon nanotubes (Baytubes® from Bayer MaterialScience). Carbon nanotubes are microscopically small tubular particles made of carbon. The carbon at-oms form a honeycomb-like structure. The electrical conductivity of such nanotubes is deter-mined by the details of this structure. The electrical conductivity is increased thanks to the graphite structure on the surface of the material created by the carbon nanotubes as a func-tional additive. So much for theory.

For the real world, this means: The new ESD cable carriers from KABELSCHLEPP are now even more conductive and with a surface resistivity of ≤ 105 ohms surpass by far the require-ments contained in the ESD standard (DIN EN 61340). Thanks to the large specific surface and the extremely even distribution of the carbon nanotubes in the carrier material, good conductiv-ity is also achieved at the contact points between the chain links and thus over the entire length of the carrier.

Additional benefits: As a consequence of modifying the fiber-reinforced material with nano-tubes, the stability of the cable carriers increases as well.

Whether in chip manufacturing, semiconductor production, manufacturing of electronic components or solar engineering, thanks to their low surface resistivity, the new ESD cable carriers from KABELSCHLEPP not only significantly reduce the risk of ESD, but also represent a useful investment with respect to future standards.

KABELSCHLEPP AMERICA
www.kabelschlepp.com

RX Energy Tube from igus

EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. – igus® has now developed an energy tube especially for the machine-tool industry that is almost 100 percent chip-proof. The airtight, fully enclosed cable carrier ensures all debris simply falls off.

igus® is using the FABTECH show in November to launch the new-style “RX” energy tube, which has a specially designed, smooth domed exterior onto which debris—such as metal or wood chips—can not attach itself. Connecting parts are concealed on the interior to facilitate this. Comprehensive tests—including underwater experiments—have been carried out in igus®’ test laboratories which confirm the new energy tube is 100 percent airtight.

Despite this, the RX energy tube can be easily opened using a screwdriver to unscrew bolts integrated into the outer radius of each link. There is also a very large interior space for cables and hoses, which can be separated using vertical separators, and a horizontal shelf to safely route cables and hoses and thereby prevent abrasion. Both these features mean maintenance and machine downtimes are reduced to a minimum.

The new energy tube is well suited to short, self-supporting lengths inside tooling machines. The chip-proof cable carrier was also developed to be used in reverse bending radius (RBR) applications. The RX energy tube is available in a high-temperature version, made from the special, high-temperature material “igumid HT”. This version ensures that even red-hot chips up to 1,562 degrees Fahrenheit fall off the tube rather than melt onto it. The enclosed cable carriers can also be delivered as pre-assembled ReadyChains®; ready harnessed with cables, hoses, and internal separators, as required by the customer.

igus
www.igus.com

igus’ Rol-E-Chain Cable Carriers

EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. – igus®’ Rol-E-Chain cable carriers have a unique design: built-in wheels to facilitate travel over long distances, such as on a crane. The wheels are integrated into the cable carrier’s side links and reduce friction dramatically, which makes longer travel, heavier load and faster speed applications possible.

The upper portion of a conventional cable carrier glides on the lower portion over longer distances. However, requirements for cable carriers in long travels have been increasing in recent years. Travels over thousands of feet present new challenges in crane construction, as do high travel speeds and cable loads up to 33.6 pounds per foot. As length of travel, load and speed increases, so does friction, which can lead to premature wear and load problems for a cable carrier.

This new-found need to expand the technical limits of cable carriers was behind the development of Rol-E-Chain. With its unique design, friction is decreased and travels over 2,600 feet are achieved easily at speeds up to 32.8 feet per second. Moreover, the drive power required to move the cable carrier is reduced by more than 25%. Rol-E-Chain is also resistant to applications involving harsh environmental conditions, such as thick dirt.

The cable-carrier design is ideal for applications on cranes, material handling devices, plasma cutters and high-speed transfer systems.

igus
www.igus.com/rol-echain.asp

This Cable Carrier Goes Only Where You Want it to Go

Because of its smooth, tubular design, “Triflex R”—‘R’ for ‘round,’ multi-axis cable carrier protects moving cables and hoses on 6 axis robots in demanding industrial environments, such as in automotive production plants or welding applications. 

The cable management system can move multi-dimensionally through all axes and can twist up to 380º per yard, making movement through complex configurations easy. The cable carrier glides around the exterior of the robot without getting caught up.

igus, Inc.
www.igus.com

New Cable Carrier for Cranes

EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. – igus® has now launched a completely new generation of roller cable carriers. New “System P4″ was unveiled in the States at the IMTS show in September and is available on request. The new cable carrier has achieved speeds up to 23 feet per second over distances of 400 feet in igus’ outdoor testing facility. P4 is specially developed for indoor and outdoor cranes, as well as conveyor systems.

The need for ever-increasing speeds demands advancements in cable carrier technology. Similarly, cable carriers must operate smoothly and quietly because many ports are expanding and moving closer to residential areas. P4 is especially low noise and wear resistant at high speeds, even with loads up to 20 lbs/ft. In fact, thanks to the use of additional center links, there is practically no weight limit. Each link has the same short pitch, which means the cable carrier moves with minimal vibration in its radius. Plastic bridges and grooves along the surface of the cable carrier —a design from igus for long travels called ‘AUTO-GLIDE’ —mean the upper run of the P4 chain glides smoothly over the lower run.
The plastic rollers are firmly integrated into the sides of the cable carrier and do not rotate over one another, because the cable carrier’s upper and lower runs offset. This reduces wear and increases service life.

www.igus.com

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