Cable Carrier copes with dirty, harsh environments.

Press Release Summary:




System E4/4 Energy Chain® family has contoured side links that seal out dirt, ice, snow, and other debris, preventing binding in outdoor or gritty situations. Applications include limestone conveyor belts, stone-cutting machinery, concrete plants, and steel mill equipment. Side links create overlapping grip which increases stability of carrier so it can handle greater side loads and still run smoothly and unsupported. Double stop-dog improves rigidity.




Original Press Release:



igus® System E4/4 Cable Carriers Cope with Harsh Realities



EAST PROVIDENCE, RI (June 24, 2002) - igus, inc. offers the System E4/4 Energy Chain® family for use in heavy-duty, harsh environment applications. The original System E4/4 Energy Chain® (Series 4040) was developed to run smoothly and effectively on its side, unsupported, and to combat exceptionally dirty or harsh environments. Due to its success in achieving these goals through advanced engineered polymer technology, igus has added more sizes and configurations to the line, including fully enclosed tubes for optimum conduit protection.

The side link design of the System E4/4 carriers creates an "overlapping grip" which serves many purposes. The snug mesh of the links significantly increases the stability of the carrier so it can handle greater side loads and still run smoothly, unsupported. This is particularly crucial for many construction and machine tool applications. The smoothly contoured overlapping links seal out dirt, ice, snow, and other debris, preventing binding in outdoor or gritty situations. The double stop-dog design feature improves rigidity. The E4/4 can also withstand 50% greater push-pull forces than the next best carrier design, allowing for longer travels - up to 975 ft. (300 m). As a result, these carriers are used in many long-travel applications, such as cranes, both indoors and outdoors. In long-travel applications under various harsh conditions, engineered polymer E4/4 Energy Chains® are able to glide on themselves in a contained guide trough, unlike metal carriers which must employ rollers with internal ball bearings that run the risk of needing continual maintenance or corroding. These carriers can also handle high cable and hose fill weights.

The E4/4 carriers share some important characteristics with the modular E4 Energy Chain® traditionally offered by igus. All existing E4 crossbars, interior shelving, separators, and strain relief accessories can be used interchangeably with the new E4/4 side links and engineered polymer KMA mounting brackets for easy off-the-shelf assembly and delivery of this new product. The modular design of the carrier makes assemble and disassembly simple. Despite the rigid, rugged characteristics of an assembled E4/4 Energy Chain®, only a screwdriver is needed to take the carrier apart, put it back together or modify its length.

Typical E4/4 Energy Chain® applications include limestone conveyor belts where the carriers exhibit magnesium resistance, stone-cutting machinery and concrete plant equipment where they repel liquids, abrasives and stone dust, steel mill equipment where "slag" can be a factor, compost facilities where they are exposed to very high humidity and elevated temperatures, salt and potash mines where they are exposed to abrasive debris, such as sodium, welding robots and machine tools where they are subjected to sparks, weld spatter, hot chips, and oil-based cutting fluids, woodworking machinery, foundries, cardboard factories, and paper-cutting machinery where they are exposed to sawdust, wood chips, hydraulic oils, brake fluids, sand, cardboard and paper dust, and outdoor equipment such as cranes, oil rigs and underbody car washes where they must resist saltwater corrosion, ice, snow, dirt, and solvents.

For more information, catalogs, samples, and technical engineering support, contact igus®, inc., PO Box 14349, East Providence, RI 02914, (phone) 800-521-2747 or 401-438-2200, (fax) 401-438-7270, (e-mail) webmaster@igus.com, (Web site) www.igus.com. igus® specializes in Energy Chain® cable carrier systems, Chainflex® continuous-flex cables and iglide® polymer bearing products.

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