Chemical resistance

The igumid G basic material covers most applications. The cost-effective material fulfills even conflicting requirements. It can handle continuous temperatures ranging from  -40 °C to far above 100 °C, allowing deployment in cold store or steel mills. Even practical applications in ice and snow are no problem.

igumid NB gives easy chain® energy chains the necessary flexibilityigumid NB, the standard material for all easy chain® energy chains, has comparable performance values.
The e-chains® from this series are extremely easy to fill. Pliant split crossbars allow cables to be pressed in easily by hand. That is why a material that combines the necessary flexibility and stability has been selected.

If even more is required of e-chain® components in terms of long-term flexibility and elasticity, igumid TE is used. Such applications include the scalable crossbars of the E6 chains, which were developed for extreme dynamics, and the especially tear-proof, flexible zipper e-chain® lids.

The newest member of the chain materials family is igumid EG+. The material is remarkable for its extremely low total moisture absorption, which gives it very great resistance to chemicals. igumid EG+ was developed specifically for use with aggressive chemicals in such applications as electroplating or fertiliser production, where it serves in both energy chains and trough systems. Where expensive stainless steel was previously necessary as a trough material, igumid EG+ now offers a cost-effective alternative. The material can be recognised immediately because of its blue colour and can be used for most e-chain® series in a temperature range from 0 °C to +100 °C. It is also RoHS-compliant and free of halogen and silicone.

The igumid DT plastic compound was developed especially for applications throughout the food production industry. The basic material was modified so that a fragment of just 1 mm can be detected by all commonly used detection systems. This allows any chips to be detected and automatically discharged..

To protect sensitive electronics components from electrostatic discharge, many industries use ESD-compatible solutions and tools. This is especially important for moving parts such as energy supplies. igumid ESD gives igus® a material that was designed specifically for this challenging application and that can discharge electrostatic charges immediately in a controlled manner. Unlike applied conductive surface coatings or volatile incorporated antistatic agents, the additives used offer long-lasting conductivity that makes maintenance unnecessary. igumid ESD is also the perfect material for energy chains used in zones that are susceptible to gas or dust explosion and thus in explosion risk areas. Such work environments occur primarily in the chemicals industry, but also wherever there are filling processes for powdery or dusty goods. igumid ESD's ability to discharge static charges can mean the elimination of potential ignition sources in environments that are susceptible to explosion in such applications. With its 10 million cycles of testing, the plastic exceeds igumid G, the standard material, for some mechanical requirements.

igumid XXL stands for long unsupported lengths and great fill weightsUp to seven metres of unsupported length without guide troughs or supports is something the optimum e-chain® solution can accomplish with the igumid XXL material. Alternatively, greater fill weights can be achieved with the same unsupported length. This also saves installation time and cost, since gliding applications generally require longer chains, additional guide troughs, and more installation space. The material is used primarily in applications involving handling and conveyor systems, construction and other heavy machinery, and large robots.

If energy, signals, and media are to be moved flexibly in machine tools, e-tubes are a good option. Their closed design prevents swarf from getting inside them. Tubes made of the special igumid HT material also ensure that swarf as hot as 850 °C does not stick. All R2, R4, and RX series tubes are available in a heat-resistant HT version. This gives manufacturers of foundry machines and other metalworking systems the option of replacing metal energy supply systems with more flexible and much lighter energy chains made of the high-performance plastic.