Energy chain in indoor crane in metal processing in scorching hot environment

• What was needed: E4/4 series plastic-energy chain
• Requirements: A cable guide was needed that would permanently protect the internal cables under hot temperatures and highly abrasive environmental conditions such as dust and hot metal swarf. In addition, a space-saving alternative to the festooning system had to be found.
• Industry: Indoor cranes, metal processing
• Success for the customer: During the last inspection at the customer's premises 35 months after installation, no incidents have occurred and the system is working without any failures. The customer is so satisfied that installation in other cranes is also planned for the coming years.

This application is for an Indian metal processing plant where a large EOT (electric overhead travelling) crane is used.
The environment is characterised by aggressive conditions due to the high temperatures at the blast furnaces, sharp-edged metal chips and highly abrasive, dense dust.
The adverse conditions led to problems with the previously used festooning systems for the guidance of energy and data cables. There had been an increase in cable failures, which were damaged by the prevailing conditions. The cable trolley in the festooning system was also becoming blocked more frequently, leading to increased system downtime and costly productivity losses. At the same time, the cables took up a lot of space in this arrangement, which also reduced the space available for replacing individual cables and made maintenance work more difficult.

The plant operator was looking for a reliable solution for cable routing and to avoid further expensive downtime in production. He found what he was looking for in our plastic-energy chain range. We offer a broad portfolio of e-chain® for a wide range of applications, environmental conditions, loads and space requirements. Type E4/4 chains are particularly suitable for cranes, as their high robustness and rigidity allow for long travel distances. In particularly abrasive conditions, the chain materials can also provide reliable protection for all cables against hot metal swarf in foundries, for example.
In the end, the customer's decision to change was worth it: even during the last inspection at the customer's premises 35 months after installation, no incidents have occurred and the system is still working without any failures. The customer is so satisfied that installation in other cranes is also planned for the coming years.