While many stars and starlets can hardly wait for the spotlight of an awards ceremony, designers do not often rush into the limelight. But the jury of experts at the vector award is certain that it is precisely they and their innovations that deserve attention – after all, they shape everyday life in the industry and far beyond. That’s why developers are called upon to compete for the 7th vector award with their bold and extraordinary energy chain applications.
igus has developed the twisterband HD so that cables and hoses can be guided safely and reliably even during rotary movements. The lightweight energy chain is very stable, easy to fill and can even cope with rotating speeds of up to 180 degrees a second. It rotates around its own axis. Due to the long service life of the series, igus has now added two further sizes to the twisterband HD product range, these new sizes being intended for especially small installation spaces.
High unsupported lengths and long travels with large fill weights create extreme stress on energy chains. igus, the motion plastics specialist, has developed the E4Q energy chain series to tackle this. Based on the robust and proven E4.1 energy chain standard, the new range brings a long service life and a high degree of modularity.
In order to be able to evaluate data from machines and systems centrally, Fanuc is now presenting its new open industrial IoT platform called “FIELD system”. The system can connect production machines of all manufacturers by means of a local network topology, enabling comprehensive data analysis of the entire process chain. In this infrastructure, apps from Fanuc and also from third-party suppliers are used. Now, igus has developed a smart plastics app for the new system. The app can be used by maintenance personnel to monitor the condition of their igus components, for example, energy chains and cables and plan all their maintenance work in good time.
For a reliable energy supply in cleanrooms, igus has developed its modular and openable e-skin energy supply range. The energy chains provide plant with data, media and energy without unwanted particles contaminating the air. This was also proven by the Fraunhofer Institute IPA. All four energy chain types were convincing in the tests – with and without cables – and received the Fraunhofer Tested Device Certificate of ISO Class 1 for use in cleanrooms.