Gliding, rolling, saving: igus expands E4.1 e-chain® modular system for long travels
New rollers and glide pads reduce costs and increase the service life of E4.1 e-chain cable carriers
November 30, 2021 – igus® has added glide pads and roller chain links to its highly-successful E4.1 universal e-chain modular system, an energy supply system favorite for safely guiding cables and hoses on long travel applications.
The new glide pads and roller chain links are quick retrofits that will reduce costs and extend the service life of the E4.1 e-chains. igus®, the Germany-based manufacturer of motion plastics, runs its North American operations out of Providence, Rhode Island.
More than 25,000 igus cable carriers move over long distances every year, whether in STS cranes, storage and retrieval units or linear robots. In all these areas of application, customers worldwide rely on the tough and modular E4.1 e-chain system from igus.
The energy supply system has an undercut design and thus a high torsional rigidity. It is quiet and variable in heights and widths. In 90 percent of gliding applications, the E4.1 is the universal solution. To extend the service life of the energy chain, especially in abrasive environments, igus has now introduced glide pads with which the chain can be easily upgraded. The wear-optimized sliding elements can be easily placed on the chain links in the inner radius. They are made of a highly abrasion-resistant igumid polymer, which can double the service life of the energy supply system at travel speeds of 1-3m/s.
Safely rolled at high speeds
igus has had energy chain links with rollers in its product range for over 20 years. They reduce the pull/push forces on long travels and ensure a significantly longer service life of the energy supply system. The company has now developed optimized roller chain links in two sizes especially for its E4.1 modular system.
Their use is particularly worthwhile at high speeds of up to 10m/s or very long travels. The rollers reduce the drive power by up to 37 percent, which significantly saves energy. The new roller chain links and glide pads provide a customized energy supply system for every special application from 12m to 500m travel.
“In order to find the best technical and economical solution for the customer, we advise them individually,’’ says Joe Ciringione, head of the Energy Chain Systems (ECS) Business Unit at igus in North America. “In the future, users will also be able to obtain a proposal for their optimum energy chain solution for long travels online in the e-chains expert. Depending on the application site and parameters, the suitable E4.1 energy chain is offered classically in the trough or in special cases with glide pad or roller elements.”
Optionally, all igus e-chains can be equipped with smart plastics systems for condition monitoring and predictive maintenance.
