igus® Cable Management: The Backbone of Efficient Industrial Automation

The safeguarding and directing of dynamic cables in contemporary machinery is known as cable management. By choosing the appropriate energy chain type for your application, you can do this. The Igus product finder tool makes it simple to select the ideal energy chain for your cable management. The system will locate it for you if you simply enter your specifications. Your machinery's igus® cable management is crucial since moving cables must be shielded from damage and occasionally difficult situations.

The mechanical components of an energy chain—also known as drag chains, cable carriers, or energy supply systems—are used to protect and steer energy, data, signals, and fluids inside a single system while withstanding the most extreme external conditions.

When every component—including cables, hoses, internal separation components, strain relief devices, and guide troughs—is made to function as a whole, our energy supply systems function at their peak efficiency. All of these components' designs and materials are optimized at igus® to provide the longest possible service life, guaranteed.

Anywhere cables and hoses need to be guided securely and safely, cable guidance—a part of cable management—is utilized. For example, a ZF14 cable chain or an OCR cable hose can guarantee neat cable guidance on a standard or height-adjustable workstation. Furthermore, a variety of energy chain systems are accessible for a range of applications, and reliability is ensured by features like high strength, adaptability, and versatility.

The energy chains of the Igus® cable carrier line are corrosion-resistant, maintenance-free, and made entirely of plastic. In practically every application, they can take the place of steel or metal carriers. Igus provides a range of energy chains, including fully enclosed Energy Tubes for applications involving flying debris, multi-axis cable carriers for robotic applications, E-Z chains for rapid assembly, E6 chains for low noise and low vibration, and micro chains for the tiniest applications.

Early on in the design phase, the cable carrier should be taken into consideration because it is an essential component of any machine. Depending on how the machine moves, there are several ways to execute it, but the most popular one is a horizontal, short-travel, unsupported installation. In this kind of application, the carrier's upper run runs the whole distance without coming into contact with the bottom run. Although each program has a different maximum unsupported length, this kind of setup will last the longest (see image A).

It is regarded as a gliding, long-travel application where the cable carrier glides on its own if the distance is too great for an unsupported installation (see image B). To sustain the carrier, a glide bar and guide trough are required. It is also possible to install cable carriers horizontally or vertically. Moreover, side-mounted, rotating, and multiple-nested carriers are rather typical.

Flexible wires and hoses are guided and shielded by a machine part known as the energy chain, or e-chain. Its protection extends the life of cables and hoses and decreases downtime .Production lines are optimized by industrial robots, which increase their agility and adaptability to meet the demands of particular clients. They manage jobs that are dangerous, repetitious, or require precision, greatly increasing overall operational effectiveness. Manufacturers can fulfill strict deadlines, ensure flawless manufacturing, and uphold high levels of quality by incorporating industrial robots. Let us examine the precise goals of industrial robots and how they affect different production facets.

The safeguarding and directing of dynamic cables in contemporary machinery is known as cable management systems. By choosing the appropriate energy chain type for your application, you can do this. The Igus product finder tool makes it simple to select the ideal energy chain for your cable management. The system will locate it for you if you simply enter your specifications. Your machinery's cable management is crucial since moving cables must be shielded from damage and occasionally harsh conditions.