Igus has developed an aluminium guiding trough system as a modular construction kit.
Self-supporting energy chains® travelling over distances of several hundred metres must be guided efficiently and reliably. This might be a distance of 50 metres in the high-bay warehouse of a logistics centre, or 500 metres on a crane installation in a harbour.
Traditionally, individually manufactured sheet-metal boxes were used, followed by standard steel systems. Today, most users use aluminium, even in areas where stainless steel has prevailed for a long time, such as the food processing sector. This is because aluminium is corrosion resistant and offers users reduced weight and quicker assembly times.
Energy chain manufacturer igus® has developed a new aluminium guiding trough system as a modular construction kit. A basic or advanced system is available depending on the application. The advanced model has additional components, making it ideal for the demanding plant engineering sector.
Four parts quickly assembled
The basic package is easily and quickly assembled and consists of just four parts: the trough wall, slide rail, clamp shoe, and connector. The extruded aluminium trough wall is lightweight, sturdy, seawater-resistant and can cope with tough environmental conditions.
The slide rails are clicked securely into a continuous lateral groove, but can be detached easily. The clamp shoe is installed internally or externally with only one screw onto the base surface or any fastening profiles, available as an option. Finally, a resilient plastic wedge dampens any impacts.
Large-scale plants or portal robots
Solid aluminium mounting brackets and connectors, instead of a plastic wedge, are the additional system components designed for large-scale plants.
These mounting brackets facilitate installation work, because the trough components are connected to one another during pre-assembly. In applications on portal robots, machine tools, wood-processing machines or textile machines, plastic wedges are sufficient.
Protection against lateral abrasion
Two additional system components provide basic technical advantages and ensure the energy chain is guided correctly. One of these system components is a lateral plastic slide strip, which protects the chain against lateral abrasion, especially at high speeds, and increases the chain’s lifespan.
Gliding along the plastic has a material-strengthening effect at critical points and also attenuates sound. If any noise requires additional dampening, noise-reducing profiles made of EPDM are available.