igus® energy chain systems E6-1 - quiet, clean, fast and stable

Dual lock
Proven and extremely secure snap-open system. You loosen the crossbar by two simple lever movements. The crossbars reliably hold even with thick filling and can still be easily opened.

Rip-off test
The max. holding force of each crossbar is verified using practical pull-out test. This can also take place under the influence of oil or other liquids.

System E6 in a large-scale plotter
High accelerations at no vibration and abrasion, and reliable cable seating

Notching in the opening crossbars
The notching in the opening crossbars permits the use of notched separators. These remain reliably in their position even on applications traveling on the side. Cables cannot be crimped.

Cable wear
We conduct long-term tests on all chainflex® cables for wear, and therefore service life, in continuously moving operation. We also test customer-specific cables in order to predict the system service life.

E6 energy chain and Chainflex® measurement system cables for large machining center
Numerous chainflex® cables neatly laid and mounted turned 90° in an E6 energy chain. The interaction of energy chain material and jacket material is a decisive factor for the service life.

Pivoting crossbars
Crossbars on the E61-29 energy chain are easy to pivot open and completely removable. This helps the easy insertion of cables. The crossbars on other E6-1 Series can be opened from left and right and are removable.

New snap-open mechanism, Series E61-29 optionally snaps open on left or right sides

Drastically reduce assembly time. Quick insertion of cables and hoses saves valuable assembly time and money.

Flexible and reliable mounting
Fastening options in any direction – above, below, or front face. Pressed-in steel bushings for a reliable fit. Optimum connection to the energy chain due to the same shape and material.

Circumferential mounting brackets, optionally with matching strain relief. Flexible mounting options and reliable connection in any direction

Mounted on the front-face with customer pre-assembled angle brackets on this large-scale plotter

Fasteners from special purpose materials
A highly-flexible fastener made from the special purpose material, igumid TE, ensures a reliable, long-lasting connection between E6-1 chain links. The special-purpose material is extremely flexible and is suited for a nearly unlimited number of bending cycles.

IEE Cologne - Expert opinion
Expert opinion: Suitability testing of igus® Energy Chains of type E6-29.for use in pick and place machinery
 
Expert opinion by the Electrical Energy Technology Institute confirmed that the fasteners reliably last for 1.8 billion cycles. As many as 3.8 billion cycles can be expected.

System E6 in an automatic extraction system.
Machines CD sleeves in a fraction of a second: Tool open, gripper on. Tool closed. All in 0.25 seconds, speed 26.25 f/s, acceleration: 257.55 f/s

Nearly friction-free fasteners
The fasteners between the chain links replace the classic pin/bore connection This drastically reduces abrasion. Applications in rooms with high cleanroom classes become possible.

Cables and energy chains with ISO Class 1 (IPA)
energy chain system E6-1, certified according to DIN EN ISO Class 1, by the Fraunhofer IPA Institute. About 82% of all chainflex® catalog cables are certified according to ISO Class 1 or Class 2 IPA . (847 chainflex® cables with tested outer jacket material available from stock)

Circuit board pick and place
Micro-processor technology demands an absolutely dust-free environment. In addition to executing pick and place cycles at extreme speeds, this represents a considerable challenge for energy supply systems, which the igus® E6 energy chain masters in stride.

Inner-/outer link principle
The alternating inner and outer link mechanism has an enormous advantage. The outside dimensions of both sides are exactly the same size and absolutely parallel.

Inner/outer link design in all E6-1 energy chain.

Assembly on site on long travel
High-speed camera travel requires high stability and smooth energy chain travel

The "polygon effect" describes that many small elements create a rounder shape than few large ones. The particularly small pitch of the E6-1 ensures very "round" tracking behavior. This reduces vibration to a minimum and enables maximum precision. At the same time, the rolling noise is significantly reduced.

Test 4076: Sound ranging 37 dB(A)
Series E61-29 was subjected to a sound measurement by the igus® lab with the result that the already good values of the E6-29 were improved by an additional 3 dB(A)

Large-scale plotter
System E6 is particularly well-suited for plotters and printers, since the quiet and low-vibration operation and cleanroom compatibility guarantee a clean print image.

Cable friendly polymer crossbars
Smooth, cable-friendly and rounded contour provides for a long service life of the cables and hoses. In addition, a better and more cable-friendly interior separation can now be implemented with less standardized components.

Wear tests
With the new rounded separators, the wear of the cables could be almost halved.

Here the rounded plastic crossbars assist in increasing the service life of cables

The energy chain E6.-1 has opening crossbars that can be removed along the inner radius as well as the outer radius. This simplifies access to, and the insertion of cables and hoses into the energy chain.

New snap-open mechanism, Series E61-29 optionally snaps open on left or right sides

Drastically reduce assembly time. Quick insertion of cables and hoses saves valuable assembly time and therefore money.

Cable friendly polymer crossbars
Smooth, cable-friendly inner contour and rounded crossbars provide for a long service life of the cables and hoses. The combination of the tribo-optimized plastic of the crossbars with the jacket material of the used cables proves to be the best matching pair for the service life of cables in tests.

Cable wear in plastic crossbars: Jacket materials of different materials show the best wear results in plastic crossbars. Moreover, compared to aluminum crossbars, these are not subject to plastic deformation with external impact force.

Cable-compatible inner separation and opening crossbars guarantee a long service life for cables and the entire system for this large-scale plotter.

The use of plastic in all components of the energy chain guarantees that the material exhibits uniform behavior in response to temperature variations. This ensures consistently high precision and dynamics.

Few components for fast assembly. Even tight and uniform tolerances are standard, since all components are made from the same material

Large-scale printers have extreme demands on constant precision. Vibrations in the energy supply system that can occur due to non-uniform material expansion must be avoided.

Variety in cables
Flexible cables in Energy Chains or robots need special characteristics to last through many cycles, high speeds and accelerations, as well as demanding environmental conditions. Yet another requirement is that EMV safety standards, as well as NFPA 79, UL, CSA, VDE, Inter- and Profibus standards are met. The igus® chainflex® product range covers Energy Chain friendly control cables, servo cables, motor cables, as well as robot cables and also bus cables, data cables, encoder cables and fiber optic cables

Complex tests of all Chainflex® cables in moving operation
All chainflex® cables are always tested in practice. This means in the energy chain or in motion, such as here in the igus® climate chamber at -40°F.

Harnessed E6 systems with matching Chainflex® cables
Available as a matching cable for cleanroom applications (more than 800 cables with Class 1 or 2 IPA certification) or for reliable functionality in any direction. Machines and plants must be reliably supplied with media, energy, and signals in each individual working position, which requires high durability and reliability of the cables.

Easy assembly without tools
All igus® energy chains can be assembled and disassembled by hand or with a simple slotted screwdriver. This facilitates chain link replacement at any time and at any position of the energy chain, and the ability to shorten and extend the energy chain.

Faster assembly due to few components
The straightforward design and the fact that a simple screw driver is sufficient for assembly renders igus® energy chain assembly particularly easy and fast.

E61-29 at the igus® test laboratory
Tests are set up and adjusted with speed and ease. Here is an abrasion test that tests wear on long travels.

Tabs as noise dampers
Small tabs on the fasteners between the E6-1 chain links ensure that the contact noise of the links is dampened. This dramatically reduces the noise profile in the energy chain radius. In combination with the small pitch, this accomplishes the low noise generated by the E6-1.

Study by the Machine Tools Laboratory and Business Operations (WZL) at RWTH Aachen on "Vibration Tests in Energy Supply Chains". Results: The "E6" energy supply system made by igus® GmbH, Cologne, is characterised by extreme low vibration and smooth operation.

Quiet operation on camera applications
Low-vibration and quiet operation is particularly important on camera applications Vibrations in the image and distracting audio noises must be prevented.

No pre-tensioning
Due to simple turning of the inner links, an energy chain with pretension can be quickly turned into an NC version. NC versions are needed for special applications, e.g. in suspended applications and confined spaces.

Special products, e.g. for storage and retrieval units, are also tested here, for instance the Guidelock slimline F system that prevents the energy chains from swinging out in storage and retrieval units.

Guidelok slimline at the igus® trade show booth
energy chains without camber are used in suspended applications, as shown at trade fairs with the Guidelok slimline F.