Cutting in XXL format

Ridder has been known as a specialist for water-jet cutting for thirty years: A water-jet cuts through metals and plastics with the unimaginable pressure of 3,800 bar. The "cold" process has the advantages that the cutting process does not result in harmful emissions and that the cutting surface has an outstanding finish even without post-processing. The cutting process also avoids warping.

Good experience with FGC machining – and with igus® energy chains
When the plant begins operation, several pallets with trailer superstructures are accurately positioned in each cabin, and a 3D-CAD/CAM program then executes the fully automatic machining of the FGC superstructures.

Filled well: The energy supply system
Ridder's engineers needed a solution for supplying the cutting heads with energy, signals, compressed air and - above all - water. The high maximum travel speeds of 20 m/min of the linear axis needed to be taken into account. They decided in favor of a solution that had already proven itself in other Ridder plants: an energy chain from the series E 4.1, made by igus® GmbH, Cologne.

A fair amount of engineering work needed to be done before the energy supply task could be solved optimally. According to the principle of gliding energy chains, the upper run normally simply comes to rest on the lower run. For this plant, this was not possible for two reasons, as explained by igus® sales consultant, Stephan Adamik: "The heavy filling and long travel distance would result in excessive friction. In addition, the high-pressure hose for the water supply called for a larger bending radius, therefore eliminating the ‘chain on chain’ principle."

e-chain® with guidelok-system
In this case, the igus® construction kit provides a suitable solution that was originally developed for machine tool building. Stephan Adamik: "The principle of a gliding chain must be disregarded whenever chips can collect on the upper surface of the lower run because the chips can damage the two chain sections that glide on each other. We developed the guidelok system for these cases, which provides an independent guide for the upper run." “

Rolling travel with ideal guidance
Using simple means and only a few components, the guidelok system provides a very stable guide for the upper run, while also significantly extending the unsupported lengths of energy chains. Because the guidelok system guides the chain by means of rollers, chain travel is accomplished at very low pull/push forces, therefore ensuring energy efficient and quiet operation.

Ridder decided on an e-chain of the igus® series E 4-1 with 100 mm width and 56 mm height. In addition to the ¼ inch high-pressure hose, the chain also guides the chainflex® energy cables for the 3D cutting head and the CANBus communication cables. These were also supplied by igus® and are specially suited for continuous operation. A center crossbar ensures that the high-pressure hose is separated from the electrical cables. In order to keep the two chains as short as possible - given 105 feet of travel - the feed-in is located at the center of the travel distance.