Polymer energy chains for harsh environments

Profile

• What was needed: Energy chains with pre-assembled cables, guide trough, moving arm
• Requirements: Long-lasting with high travel frequency and dynamics, high dirt accumulation, abrasive dust, and changing humidity
• Products: XX e-chain series 1500, 2500, 3500, E2.15, E2.38, B15, readycable® hybrid suitable for Beckhoff
• Industry: XX Pest control element production
• Success for the customer: Joint development for efficient design, increased service life, optimisation for easy maintenance.

About the application:
The waste incineration plant is designed for a throughput of 360,000 tons per year. It has three incineration lines that are fed from a central bunker. The furnaces are fed by two cranes that travel on a common 70-metre-long crane track and have a span of 25 metres. 

The challenge

The application places high demands on the energy supply. The cranes move around the clock without breaks with very high dynamics. The changing humidity that prevails in the bunker also places high demands on every plastic that is used there. In addition, there is a high level of dirt accumulation and abrasive dust. The previously installed trailing cable system had problems with high levels of wear. Cleaning was difficult to impossible, which inevitably led to damage that made replacing the system unavoidable. Implementing the system posed two special challenges for the igus team. Firstly, the replacement had to take place while the incineration lines were still in operation. This meant that only short interruptions were allowed during which the cranes could not load the ovens. Secondly, the manufacturer of the cranes had ceased operation in the meantime, and therefore the documentation was incomplete and had to be reproduced.

Solution

For this special challenge, the design department at igus Cologne developed an individual solution. Roller energy chains, which were specifically developed for “heavy duty” conditions, were used for all travels. The roller energy chain travels on rollers and not, as usual, gliding. This creates the conditions for it to be able to handle long travels and high speeds with low drive power. Other design features include the encapsulated design of the stainless steel rollers and the high tensile stability of the chain. The torsional strength of the chain is also very high. Moreover, the entire construction is designed in such a way that a high degree of resistance to wear is guaranteed, even under tough conditions. In this way, for example, the rolling resistance remains consistently low even when very dirty. For the larger travel, a guide trough was tailored to the exact requirements of the application. For crane travel, a 316 stainless steel guide trough from the standard range was sufficient. In addition to energy and conventional signals, the energy chain also transports Ethernet data and Profibus signals that are processed by the PLC.