Reliable protection: energy chains in the processing industry

Profile

• What was needed: energy chains, cables
• 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
• Sector: processing industry, wood and aluminium
• Success for the customer: igus® guides and cables have guaranteed trouble-free continuous operation, reduced plastic wear and extended product service life for many years.

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

The challenge

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 form cutter fixed at an angle. The working area of the grid table (vacuum) is 2,100 x 4,100mm. Schmalz blocks enable working with swivelling electric spindle and angular machining unit on the Z-axis with 500mm. OMRON drives with an output of 1.5kW enable fast work with high dynamics. A vacuum pump with an output of 7.5kW is used. With the help of a tool magazine and ATC electric spindle, extensive product types are possible on a 2,100 x 4,100mm table. The indexable C-axis allows for the use of an angle unit. The control system with dynamic path analysis allows travelling speeds of up to 100m/min. and an acceleration of 10m/s².

Solution

Our customer worked directly with our experts at an early stage to develop the best possible solution. They opted for closed energy tubes from the R2.40 and R2i.48 series. These 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 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 machine axes. Using the most suitable products for the application extended the service life. Components need to be replaced much less frequently as plastic wear has been significantly reduced.