Safe retraction without loops: a new energy supply system from igus

January 12, 2016 4:26 pm

Retraction system for e-chains on industrial robots enables guiding of supply hoses for rivets and screws
  The motion plastics specialist igus has developed a lightweight and cost-effective concept for the automatic retraction of energy chains allowing further advances in robotics. Besides carrying energy, data and media cables, industrial robots nowadays also frequently carry supply hoses for rivets or screws. The new triflex RSE system prevents looping of the energy chain, allowing these materials to be safely supplied to the end of the robot arm.
The triflex R series has been designed by igus specifically for highly dynamic industrial robotic applications and as a multi-axis energy chain it can move in all directions in space. The universal triflex chains made from high-performance plastics work in even the most demanding industrial environments, are easy to install and can quickly be filled with cables from the outside. They also have high tensile and torsion strength. “However, since nowadays it is not only just electrical and pneumatic cables that are conducted on the robot, but also often supply hoses for bolts, rivets or screws, tight bends or hanging loops can sometimes cause problems,” says Jorg Ottersbach, industry manager for robotics at igus. “Any reduction in the minimum allowable bend radius of the supply hoses can lead to a fault, reducing the efficiency of the process. In the worst case a rivet or a screw gets stuck in the supply hose, which then leads to a plant standstill.”
With its linear retraction of the e-chain, the triflex RSE retraction system offers an efficient and cost-effective solution that requires no curve, spring rods or deflecting rollers.

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