"We include the majority of our suppliers in the development process at an early stage," says Mario Chemnitz, Director of the Design Department at Niles-Simmons Industrieanlagen GmbH in the city of Chemnitz, Germany. "Many questions need to be settled early on in the development process – especially when one is dealing with the extremely limited space available inside our machine tools and machining centers." This also applies to externally supplied parts like energy chains, which need to deliver a maximum movement in the limited space available. There are many demands on the energy supply systems which are installed both inside and outside the working chamber. These demands may range from long travel distances, tight bending radii, and high fill weights, through to high temperature and chemical resistance. All these challenges must be resolved at the design stage. "The design of the energy chain in the working chamber is especially important," says Mario Chemnitz, "since it has to withstand the most difficult conditions." “