Tailored energy supply for indoor cranes on a 32m long crane runway

Profile

• What was needed: polymer e-chain® with aluminium guide trough, chainflex® cables
• Requirements: the energy supply system had to meet requirements in terms of durability and compactness.
• Industry: crane
• Success for the customer: altogether, with e-chains® including the inner cables and the combination with the aluminum troughs, it was possible to implement a system that is as compact as it is space-saving.

In this application, it is a crane system for fully automatic operation for storing and retrieving sewage sludge in a cement plant. The designers here were looking for a customized energy supply system together with the matching inner cables.

The crane track has a total length of 32 meters, with a trolley travel speed of 60m/min, a crane travel speed of 80m/min and a lifting speed of 60m/min. The stroke height is also 8 meters. The energy supply system had to meet requirements in terms of durability and compactness.

The recycling crane now uses plastic e-chain® systems that travel in aluminum troughs. The basic package of the guide trough system consists of only four parts: Trough wall, glide bar, bottom clamp and scalable crossbar. The trough wall made of extruded aluminum is light, yet strong, seawater-resistant and can also be used in harsh environmental conditions. The glide bars are securely clicked into a continuous lateral groove and can be released again. The bottom clamp can be installed inside or outside with only one screw on the bottom or on fixing profiles. Finally, a springy plastic wedge absorbs any impacts that occur.

In addition, the undefined with cores wound in bundles and highly abrasion-resistant, gusset-filling extruded outer jackets — which meet the requirements of even the toughest applications — mounting brackets, strain reliefs and assembly materials have proven their worth for over 15 years, particularly in long travels with high numbers of cycles.

All in all, with energy chains including internal cables and the combination with the aluminum channels, it was possible to realize a system that is both compact and space-saving.