Welding, riveting, soldering: Industrial robots must work dynamically and quickly in production. Therefore, a safe and compact guidance of cables and hoses is required. This is where the three-dimensional triflex energy chains from igus are used. If the e-chains form loops in the work area of the robot, it can damage the cables and hoses as well as lead to machine failure. For this reason, igus has now developed the new low-cost TR.RSEL retraction system. The system guides the energy chain in a line on the robot, ensuring trouble-free and fail-safe operation.
“RoHS” stands for “Restriction of Hazardous Substances” and regulates the use of hazardous substances in electronic devices. This EU directive aims to avoid harmful components such as lead, mercury or plasticisers in products and work environments. All of igus’ 1,354 highly flexible chainflex cables comply with the requirements of the current RoHS II directive. This ensures legal and functional safety for machine builders and safe use and disposal for the user.
De-icing and washing aircraft is still a very manual process. To reduce time, delays and therefore costs, MSG Production AS developed a fully automated all-in-one concept that can de-ice and wash aircraft. The Norwegian company relies entirely on the advantages of motion plastics from igus: energy chains of the E2 and E4 series ensure reliable cable guidance and igubal pillow block bearings for the mounting of cleaning nozzles.
Electromobility is a crucial topic of the future. For Germany to be in the pole position, it is important to inspire young minds to take up scientific and engineering professions. Towards this purpose, the annual JET Challenge takes place at the IdeenExpo in Hanover. Students are given the task of building a fast, tough and energy-efficient racing car from a standard, remote-controlled car with a limited budget. Wear-resistant 3D-printed gears from igus made from the high-performance plastic iglidur I6 helped in this endeavour.
CAT5e or CAT6 cables are indispensable for the implementation of Industry 4.0 in automation. igus has now further developed two highly flexible Ethernet cables, CFBUS.045 and CFBUS.049, specifically for use in the energy chain. The new CAT5e and CAT6 cables have enhanced UL approval for the North American market with 600 volts. They have been successfully tested in the igus test laboratory with more than 76 million strokes and are available from stock from a length of 1 metre.