2
Today, e-chain
®
cable carriers are a standard machine part throughout
automation technology. Their application spectrum is similarly
broad–from semiconductor manufacture in cleanrooms to container
cranes. As varied as chains are, there are technology trends and
customer preferences that remain the same across industries.
Industry standard
If a machine moves–think robot arms, linear systems, linear robot axes,
or crane bridges–it uses e-chain cable carriers. Today, this is the proven
state of the art, and design engineers are generally familiar with their use.
From the point of view of igus
®
as a global leader in energy supply system
manufacture, this means that there is less and less market potential in
established areas of application–that is, less and less replacement of
other systems with e-chain cable carriers. The advantages of guiding
cables in chains are simply obvious and have been well-known for a long
time.
The trends
The reason why there is a suitable system for almost any application is that
the market is large. The foundation is therefore laid, but now is the time
to refine and expand in different directions. For example, e-chain cable
carriers offer new degrees of freedom. Their use is becoming simpler.
Travel speed and service life is increasing in heavy-duty applications.
There are new solutions for challenging areas of application such as the
semiconductor industry, and customized energy supply systems are being
developed for niche applications such as oil extraction and shore power
supply. These trends are illustrated here briefly with current examples of
igus trade show innovations.
New degrees of freedom: 3D chain with integrated retraction system
Until now, a separate retraction system was needed for the 3D energy
supply on the robot arm, which creates a length compensation in the
movement. This was because the length of the energy supply has, until
now, been fixed. Now the triflex
®
TRX provides a chain that can move in
three dimensions and adapt its length to the robot arm reach. The chain
element design and integrated retraction band allow the chain to extend
automatically by up to 40% and retract again, without a space-intensive,
expensive retraction system on the robot. It also ensures high tensile
strength (up to 1,000N), easy filling from the exterior, and position stability
for the cables in the chain.
Revolution in robot energy supply:
igus
®
telescopic triflex TRX
Source: igus
®
GmbH
