Roller energy chains - rolling instead of gliding

Conventionally designed energy chains are used in gliding applications for long travels. Roller energy chains were developed to expand the technical limits of this method of operation. The igus® roller energy chains are ideal for applications in which long travels have to be realised at high speeds. This is often the case, for example, with finish line cameras or in conveyor technology. The system's low coefficients of friction can also save costs in slower applications in the crane sector or in shifting systems, as the dimensions of the drives can be significantly smaller.

Benefits of igus roller energy chains at a glance:

• Roller energy chains are safe, save space and require little maintenance. Cable lengths can be reduced by up to 50% (compared to cable trolley systems).
• Significant reduction of the drive force to less than 37% to move the energy chain
• Travels of 1,000 metres and more
• For high speeds of up to 10m/s
• Uniform roller resistance in dirty environments

P4 system

Profile rol e-chain for very high fill weights (up to 30kg/m) and speeds (up to 10m/s)

P4.1 system

Longer service life: 375,000km running performance Long travels: more than 1,000m

System P4HD.1R

Service life extended again (compared to P41.56R): +50%; low maintenance

System E4.1R

Noise and vibration reduced, whereby less drive energy is needed

On an STS crane

The roller energy chain has been moving smoothly along the 100-metre-long travel since 2015. So far, 9,000 operating hours have been completed.

In a stacker

Roller energy chain for a stacker has been travelling 615m for ten years without failure, saving up to 57% of the drive energy required to move the energy chain system.

In bucket wheel excavators

World record with 670 metres! Longest travel distance with roller energy chains. The maintenance-free roller design reduces the push/pull forces by up to 75%.

When should I use a roller energy chain?
In the case of long travels of more than 100m and high additional cable loads, or in conjunction with accelerations of more than 1m/sec², increasingly high push/pull forces have resulted in gliding energy chains for cranes.

How often do I need to lubricate or replace the rollers on an energy chain system?
The service life of the rollers of an energy supply system generally depends on the roller material and the environment. Free-running or unprotected rollers are exposed to external influences. In energy chain systems, rollers are integrated into the chain link and "lubricated for life" with a seawater-resistant grease. Such a system does not need to be replaced during its entire service life.

Can I also use the E4/4 rol e-chain in the machine tool?
The E4/4 rol e-chain is familiar from the crane industry, among others. But what does this have to do with the machine tool? High loads, long travels and a dynamic behaviour - this description also frequently applies to x-axes in machine tools. The rol e-chain 5050RHD, for example, allows travels of 10 to 800m with a maximum fill weight of 30kg/m. At the same time, this chain with an inner height of 80mm can still be used dynamically. For example, amax is 50m/s² and vmax 6m/s.

Is the E4/4 rol e-chain suitable for my machine?
To ensure that it matches your machine, we have four different inner heights, up to seven radii, up to 42 widths, two reinforced options and everything still available from stock as e-tube. To ensure the chain's optimal design, we recommend that it be installed by an igus expert. They will carefully check the filling and also design the corresponding trough for you. Furthermore, in most cases we can make a reliable service life prediction based on our test data, which gives you and your plant reliability.
All in all, this means that the E4/4 rol e-chain is a tried-and-tested system. It can therefore be used without any problems wherever the technical parameters are met.