Torsion-resistant e-chain® for compact X-ray radio therapy robot

• What was needed: E2/000 energy chain and triflex® dresspack as a pre-assembled readychain® solution
• Requirements: The limited ceiling height and compact paneling required space-saving cable routing. The system must also be torsion-resistant, electromagnetic compatibility-capable and allow the smallest bend radius.
• Industry: Medical technology, imaging and diagnostics
• Success for the customer: The E2/000 e-chain® was able to reduce the installation height without restricting functionality. The triflex® system allows the most demanding multi-axis movements. Pre-assembling the system reduced the installation time and ensured proper integration.

Medical equipment requires large number of cables to be installed in the radiation-protected treatment room. In the case of this X-ray apparatus from BEC GmbH, the limited ceiling height and the compact paneling of the patient positioning system make cable routing difficult.

The main reason for the high number of cables is that no electronic components may be used in the radiation room as the radiation could damage them. The connections for all sensors, motors and electrical components must be routed over a long distance to a radiation-free room. For this purpose, it was necessary to realize the most efficient cable routing possible, as the installation space in the next radiation-free area can be very limited.

Due to the complex movements performed by the patient positioning system, cable guides for torsional stress were also necessary. The most difficult challenge was finding electromagnetic compatibility-capable cables with a very small bend radius and torsional strength. These are necessary in order to fulfil the electromagnetic compatibility limits for medical devices despite the long cable length.

Limited space with maximum movement and a large amount of cable present an almost unsolvable problem for cable routing. In the exacure system, this challenge was overcome by using two of igus® cable management systems and a variety of cables. An E2/000 plastic e-chain® from the 3400 series is installed on the linear axis. This allowed the installation height to be reduced without restricting functionality.

The patient couch and imaging unit on the robot must be rotatable by up to ± 200 degrees and tiltable by ± 10 degrees. The cables must be routed along the robot under the paneling and be guided along with the patient couch's rotational movements. The risks of torsion or tearing in the cable harnesses were eliminated with the use of a triflex® dress pack.

Previous solutions were built up towards the front in the direction of the therapy beam. The new optimized arrangement builds up to the side and allows more cables to be brought close to the patient without reducing the treatment volume. The triflex® dresspack also enables the optimum integration with drastically reduced installation and commissioning time. In addition, the complete package including all connectors was purchased pre-assembled as a readychain® solution which further reduced the installation time.