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igus® inc.
During the mining and subsequent storage of bauxite, a sedimentary rock for the production of aluminium oxide, a lot of dust is thrown up, which is a major challenge especially for the moving machine parts of the conveyor units. For this reason, Aluminium Oxid Stade GmbH (AOS), one of the major German alumina producers, decided to use smart energy chains, which are equipped with push/pull detection.
At AOS, the smart energy supply system is used three times. One is in a hall, where the dust load is at a maximum, and the other two applications are outdoors. However, the outdoor applications are characterised by a maximum travel length of 330 m.
The heavy dust arising during the movement of bauxite is an enormous stress, especially for moving machine components. Before the energy chains, motor cable drums were used for the energy supply. The problem with the energy supply through the motor drums was that the cables were not always reeled in correctly, which ultimately resulted in machine breakdowns due to cable damage.
In addition to plant safety, safety for people plays an even greater role. Before the smart e-chain® was installed, in the event of crane failures or for maintenance purposes, you always had to climb 40 metres up the crane with a laptop to read the data. This was also always associated with a certain risk for humans.
The first decision in favour of a smart energy supply system from igus was made back in 2012, when the push-pull force measurement was still called PPDS (push/pull detection system). Now this technology is called EC. P (e-chain pull detection), which is much more space-saving and easier to install than before. AOS uses the EC. P System as a cleaning or maintenance reminder and states:"If the chain's travel becomes too obstructed by dust and dirt, the pull/push force detection system shuts the system down before damage occurs and we know it's time to clean the chain's travel again."
This is called "killing two birds with one stone", because expensive damage is avoided and you always know when it is time to clean the machine from dust and dirt. Simply smart.
Industry: Automotive
Which smart plastics technology is used?
P4.1 roller chain, i.Sense EC.B, chainflex cables
Why is it used?
Increase in plant safety and availability; complete project implementation from a single source; smart early warning system.
Industry: Crane
Which smart plastics technology is used?
i.Sense EC.P for permanent monitoring of the system
Why is it used?
The system includes intelligent sensors for monitoring the pull/push forces, which can be used for an emergency shutdown in the event of increased forces.
Industry: Crane
Which smart plastics technology is used?
Roller energy chains with the iSense EC.P pull/push force detectio.
Why is it used?
To avoid system damage and failures through preventive maintenance or remote intervention.
Industry: Crane
Which smart plastics technology is used?
EC.P for push/pull forces, EC.B for chain breaks, CF.P for measuring tensile force on cables, EC.M for movement data and EC.W for measuring abrasion and a predictive maintenance system.
Why is it used?
The customer now has full control, overview and safety.
Industry: Automotive
Industry: Transport
Industry: Packaging
Which smart plastics technology is used?
E4.1L e-chains® and chainflex® cables pre-assembled as a readychain, CF.Q isense sensors, Module Connect connector.
Industry: Robotics
Which smart plastics technology is used?
EC.M sensor for motion data and EC.W sensor for the measurement of abrasion along the energy chain
Industry: Mining
Which smart plastics technology is used?
EC. P System as a cleaning or maintenance reminder.
Why is it used?
The heavy dust arising during the movement of bauxite is an enormous stress, especially for moving machine components.
Industry: Wastewater and sewage treatment plants
Industry: Agriculture
Our intelligent e-chain® systems are already reliably in use in hundreds of thousands of applications worldwide - from beverage machines and CNC machines to steel mills.
Smart plain bearings are great for sensitive or hard-to-reach spots on a machine, since they allow the bearing's condition to be assessed at any time.
Whether a new project for Industry 4.0 or efficiency-driven retrofitting - our smart plastics solutions are available as universal modular systems and can be individually adapted to any system.
