Sealed and safe: energy chains in pipe production

Profile

• What was needed: energy chains, cables
• 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 to 4,000mm and a length of 1,000 to 6,000mm.

The challenge

The customer is a manufacturer of plastic pipes based in Estonia. Pipes are manufactured from polyethylene and polypropylene using an extrusion process in which a profile is wrapped around a steel mandrel. A universal production system from Germany is used for production. Production and processing results in a lot of polymer chips. The system has two separate, movable moulds. To move these tools independently of each other, the guidance and protection of the cables for the respective tool had to be ensured. Due to the dirty environment, maintenance has to be carried out often, which always necessitated a certain amount of production downtime.

Solution

Thanks to the collaboration with our product experts, we were able to develop a solution tailored to the customer's requirements. The choice fell on the R4.38L series, which is the closed version of the E4.38L energy chain. It belongs to the E4.1L product family. Thanks to the improved ratio of inner and outer dimensions due to narrower outer links and an optimised crossbar geometry, the series offers a reduction in weight combined with high dynamics and stability. Chip protection is ensured by means of very tight-fitting lids and bases. Despite the fact that it is tightly sealed, the energy tube can be opened on both sides. The cable used is the chainflex CF140.UL series. It is a shielded PVC control cable for medium loads and offers a bend radius of 7.5xd and can be used for travels of up to 50 metres. The customer is very satisfied with the selected products combined as readychain. Thanks to the energy tube design, the cables are optimally protected from accumulating plastic chips.