Sealed and safe: energy chains in pipe production

• What was needed: energy chain, cable
• Requirements: Cable protection, longer service life, lower maintenance requirements
• Products: e-chain® series R4.38L, chainflex® control cable CF140.UL
• Industry: Pipe production
• Success for the customer: Optimum guidance and protection of the cables used, optimisation of maintenance intervals, significantly longer service life.

Application:
Production of thermoplastic pipes with an inner diameter of 300 mm to 4,000 mm and a length of 1,000 to 6,000 mm.

The customer is a manufacturer of plastic pipes based in Estonia. Pipes are produced from polyethylene and polypropylene using an extrusion process in which a profile is wound around a steel mandrel. A universal production line from Germany is used for production. A lot of polymer chips are produced during production and processing. The system has two separate, movable moulds. In order to be able to move these tools independently of each other, the guidance and protection of the cable for the respective tool had to be ensured. Due to the dirty environment, maintenance is frequently required, which always necessitated a certain amount of production downtime.

By working together with our product experts, we were able to develop a solution tailored to the customer's requirements. The R4.38L series was chosen, which is the closed version of the E4.38L energy chain. It belongs to the E4.1L product family. Thanks to the optimised ratio of inner and outer dimensions due to the narrower outer link and optimised crossbar geometry, the series offers a reduction in weight combined with high dynamics and stability. Chip protection is ensured with the help of very tight-fitting lids and bases. Despite the high level of tightness, the energy tube can be opened on both sides. The chainflex® CF140.UL series is used as the cable. It is a shielded PVC-control cable for medium loads and offers a bend radius of 7.5 x d and can be used for travel distances of up to 50 metres. The customer is very satisfied with the selected products in combination as a readychain®. Thanks to the energy tube design, the cables are optimally protected against plastic chips.