Energy chain helps robots in various industries

Energy chain selected by pharmaceutical firm due to its round-shape, enabling it to glide around the outside contour of the robot, without catching on any edges.

Many industrial operations require robots for production, installation and handling.

These robots must typically carry out complex, rapid, multidimensional movements and hence require a trouble-free energy supply.

The Triflex R series from Igus was developed to provide a reliable system to cope with such complicated, multi-axis movements within a set space.

Multidimensional Triflex R cable carriers can protect and guide cables as they move around a robot.

They can negotiate complex movements and have a small bending radius suitable for small installation spaces.

These multi-axis polymer chains are already being used in the automotive production, mechanical engineering, plant construction, glass production and pharmaceutical industries, where they have increased service life and thereby decreased costs long term.

The Triflex R system is for wherever multi-axis movement is involved, such as applications on six-axis robots used in welding, varnishing, adhesives, grinding technology or transmissions assembly.

It is also used on robots moving at high speeds.

Carbon fibre rods can be integrated into Triflex R to spring load the energy supply so it is prevented from interfering with the working area.

In conventional systems this would require a complicated system of springs, cable winches and linear guide bearings.

In pharmaceutical production, each critical work environment is assigned a cleanliness grade of one to three and must meet the criteria of this environment.

A high technical standard for automation is also required for production in this sector.

Hence a cable carrier used in this application must meet high quality standards, especially where microbial and particulate cleanliness is concerned.

Bayer meets every requirement for modern pharmaceutical product production.

The company uses fully automated systems in its filling process: after bottles have been cleaned, sterilised, filled and sealed during various production phases, a high-precision pick-and-place robot is used.

This places the filled ampoules or medicine vials in pallets inside a skeleton container, before they reach the inspection, packaging and shipping departments.

The robot Bayer had been using for this purpose regularly suffered cable breakages, due to its movements greatly straining supply cables.

When the robot exceeded its lifetime, a reliable system was needed to keep the freely suspended electric and pneumatic cables bundled together.

The clean room conditions and air-conditioned environment meant Bayer was keen not to use any kind of particle catapult in this area.

The Triflex R energy chain was selected due to its round-shape, enabling it to glide around the outside contour of the robot, without catching on any edges.

This is important because the skeleton container to be filled is relatively small.

Triflex R guides the cables with a defined minimum bending radius, equal in all directions.

The enclosed design means the benefit is twofold: it doesn't let dirt escape; and it prevents dirt from entering.

Therefore, applications in clean and dirty environments are possible.

Ernst Pennekamp OHG unveiled its Fast/Z/25 last year.

This is compact, fast and sensitive, and pushes glass products emerging from moulding, at temperatures around 500C, into a leer.

Glass products are examined and cooled down.

Fast/Z/25 can carry out fluent, superimposed movements, just like a robot.

This presents more than one advantage.

The system can work continuously, with the bottles arranged in the most efficient way on the conveyor belt.

The installation space required is smaller: it can be controlled by a mobile operation terminal and requires far less maintenance.

Previously, traditional three-axis linear systems were used, pushing the bottles onto a conveyor belt up to 5.5m wide.

These systems are limited to 18 cycles per minute for large glass production lines, so a four-axis inserter was designed.

The extra fourth axis allows an upwards vertical movement to enable a return to the initial product.

This means higher speeds.

It is suitable for tall bottles or glasses.

Fast/Z/25 now achieves up to 25 cycles per minute, while handling the fragile goods gently.

This is made possible by the kinematics of the inserter and the combination of servo transmissions and transmissions with zero backlash.

Pennekamp needed an energy chain for the energy supply to the machine's individual axes.

The Triflex R, with its round-shaped profile, was chosen, because its ball-socket connection absorbs high tensile forces and simultaneously allows smooth movement in all axes.

It also has clearly defined stop positions for the radius and torsion.

And its smooth inner contour increases cable service life.

Triflex R can be separated and reconnected at any point, without having to cut or reconnect any components, such as steel cables.

This is suitable when adjusting the chain to match an application and for maintenance purposes later.

Its design means the chain will not get caught on corners or edges and cables are protected from potential damage by broken glass as much as possible.

The snap-lock mechanisms of the mounting brackets allow the whole system to be quickly changed if required.

The cables can also be easily strain-relieved, using cable-ties on the integrated teeth.

The energy chain provides the right diameter for any filling process, with four sizes from 40 to 100mm.

Pennekamp opted for the Easy Chain Triflex R design, which allows rapid cable insertion and extraction through a split crossbar.

This is suitable if quick access to individual cables is required.

Pennekamp uses mounting brackets from Igus as part of its complete robot cable package.

Accessories are available for Triflex R, including pivoting mounting brackets with self-aligning bearings, carbon-fibre rods and universal mounting kits to mount from any robot fixture type.

Maintenance requirements are also reduced and system lifetime increased.

It has proved a profitable investment for Pennekamp: the glassworks can produce seven cycles per minute more and thereby increase annual production by several million bottles.

High-flex Igus special cables, designed for energy chains, were also included as part of a pre-harnessed Ready Chain plug-and-play system.

Pennekamp hence not only saves storage and purchasing capacity by purchasing the complete system from one supplier, but also achieves competitive advantages from its reduced production times.

The light version of Triflex R is also available.

This one-piece chain is lightweight and fits all standard Triflex R mounting brackets.

It was developed for applications where several small cables are used.

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