SUPPLEMENT FEATURE INDUSTRY 4.0
SMART PLASTICS ADD INTELLIGENCE FOR GREATER PLANT AVAILABILITY
Predictive maintenance plays a key role in Industry 4.0 and the factory of tomorrow. Supporting this future, igus has added more sensors and monitoring modules to its smart plastics family for more intelligence - warning of potential failure in good time before unplanned and costly downtimes occur
The icom communication module,
he new isense EC.RC (e-chain Run Control) monitors the operating status of the energy chains, especially in guide troughs used on long travel applications. Sensors measure and check the position of the energy chain. In this way, the machine is prevented from continuing to operate when mechanical faults occur; meaning that total loss of the chain or an electrical shutdown are a thing of the past. Another new product is the EC.M
T
module, which is mounted on the moving end of the energy chain and automatically records its status, i.e. acceleration, speed, temperature and completed number of double-strokes. The distance travelled and the remaining service life of the system can be derived from this.
CONTINUOUS TESTING igus has also improved the CF.Q module, with which the data of the intelligent chainflex cables are gathered. Due to continuous measurement of the electrical properties, ambient temperature and the number of cycles, potential failure of the cable is predicted in good time. “Continuous testing in our test
laboratory and in customer applications help us to make analysis of the measured values increasingly precise,” explains Justin Leonard, e-chain director at igus. “Real applications in which we are already using our intelligent products and our chainflex cables include, for example, robot gantries for transportation in car factories, where even short unscheduled standstill times can result in very large production losses.”
S16 DECEMBER/JANUARY 2018 | INDUSTRY 4.0 & THE IIOT
A new generation of smart plastics from igus provide the ability to monitor the operating state of all energy chains and cables with just one module
which gathers and transfers all the values of these systems, has also been developed further and now communicates wirelessly. It is even easier to integrate into existing production processes, one of the reasons being that only a single icom module is needed for several isense systems. In addition, manufacturers’ data-generating units which monitor status can now be connected to the icom module.
ABOUT IGUS Based in Northampton in the UK and with global headquarters in Cologne, Germany, igus is a leading international manufacturer of energy chain systems and polymer plain bearings. The family- run company is represented in 35 countries and employs approximately 3,000 people worldwide.
In 2016, igus achieved sales of 592
million euros with motion plastics, plastic components for moving applications. With plastic bearing experience since 1964, cable carrier experience since 1971 and continuous-flex cable since 1989, igus provides the right solution based on 100,000 products available from stock with between 1,500 and 2,500 new product introductions each year. igus operates the largest test
laboratories and factories in its sector to offer customers quick turnaround times on innovative products and solutions tailored to their needs. For more information on the smart
plastics family from igus, please visit:
www.igus.co.uk/smartplastics or call igus directly on 01604 677240.
igus
www.igus.co.uk
Honeycomb strain relief system from igus makes energy chain harnessing easier
I
gus has introduced a unique strain relief system for energy
chains that replaces the cable tie- wraps that are commonly used in industry. Cables and hoses are simply inserted into a honeycomb, called the CFU, and then closed. Compared to cable tie-wraps or other strain relief solutions, the engineer can save about 80 per cent assembly and engineering time. Once the cables and hoses are
inserted into the CFU and closed, the outer walls of the honeycomb cavities lie gently and uniformly around the cables. The honeycomb system is assembled in seconds and is also extremely flexible, as new cables can be inserted or replaced by hand. The flush finish with the e-chain mounting bracket, enables the CFU to be used both in
unsupported and gliding applications. The design also allows easy scaling for individual chain widths. Different cables are inserted into the vertical rows of the CFU, the system is closed and then screwed at the top. With the honeycomb strain
relief, the designer can already plan the chain and strain relief before the exact cable assignment is known. This can be changed easily in the later stages. Together with the new separator system for
a custom-made interior separation, the honeycomb strain relief is said to make the E4.1L the easiest to fill energy chain on the market.
For more information about the E4.1L chain, please visit:
www.igus.co.uk/e4.1L or call igus directly on 01604 677240
T: 01604 677240
/AUTOMATION
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