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Examples of successful applications in the crane industry

Port Cranes

Heavy loads, long periods of use, and a wide variety of weather­­conditions – cranes in port facilities must perform at their best. And that is exactly where our energy chains and flexible cables are being used. They have proven themselves for years in over 10,000 ports with their corrosion-free, maintenance-free materials offering a long service life. The fields of application include, among others, ship-to-shore cranes, bulk cargo handling cranes, RTGs, RMGs, Goliath cranes, spreaders and reach stackers. Wherever safety must be ensured and there is pressure to meet deadlines, e-chains® are a reliable, quiet alternative to busbar systems, festooning and cable drums.

Container crane Hamburg Port

Fourteen container gantry cranes at HHLA Container Terminal Altenwerder (CTA) are equipped with energy chains to supply the gantry trolleys with energy and signals.

STS crane Antwerp

For travels of more than 400 metres in some cases, 12 ship-to-shore cranes in Antwerp were equipped with robust heavy duty energy chains.

Container loading crane

Since this port is located in the immediate vicinity of a residential area, a crane was equipped with the fail-safe and low-noise P4 roller energy chain.

Ship unloading crane

For the crane boom of this STS crane, e-chains replace the previously used festooning system and save the operator time and money.

Bridge crane

By replacing the old cable guide with our P4 energy chain, the service life of the crane has been increased, the chain is now running more quietly and wear has been significantly reduced.

Roller energy chain on STS crane

For high-speed trolley drive, a safe and failure-free roller energy chain was used for energy and data transmission.

Indoor cranes

They have been designed for the overhead moving of loads within a building, such as in production and assembly areas: gantry cranes. Short downtimes, low maintenance requirements and the functional reliability of the system are important from an economic point of view, but also with regard to occupational safety. Our energy supply systems have been developed for different operating conditions, but also for the various standards of the international markets. They are designed in an optimal way, as a complete system or individual component, and with a predictable service life.

Crane in cement plant

With this crane system for storing and removing sewage sludge in a cement plant, an energy chain has proven itself through flexibility, variability and space-saving installation.

Indoor crane: 50% more storage space

This indoor crane had an extremely low clearance height. Our pre-assembled energy chain solution created 50% more storage space.

Chemical-resistant indoor crane

Plastic energy chain systems for supplying energy to process cranes have proven themselves for several years in this hot-dip galvanising plant under high acid loads.

Indoor cranes in the foundry

Containers containing liquid metal are transported in a foundry using these three cranes. The hot environment and high levels of contamination placed severe demands on the cable guidance.

Indoor crane in metal processing

In this indoor crane application, our e-chains show their advantages: even under the heavy load of dust and hot metal swarf, there has been no failure in three years.

Coil crane in steelworks

In this coil crane, the motor-driven cable drums required a high level of maintenance. That is why they were replaced by our e-spool system.

Bridge crane in steelworks

This crane transports billets in a steel mill using a magnetic beam. For the power supply of the slewing gear, the developers are using a triflex series e-chain instead of the previous conductor rail.

Garbage crane

In a waste disposal company in Belgium, the trailing cables were replaced by our e-chains in two travelling cranes.

Gantry cranes in concrete plant

In the harsh environment of concrete processing, energy supply systems contribute to the stability and reliable function of indoor cranes.

guidefast system for gantry crane

The manufacturer Piedmont Hoist and Crane in the USA opted for the convenient guidefast modular guide trough system for a gantry crane.

70m crane track in waste incineration plant

In the Eschweiler waste incineration plant, the existing trailing cables were replaced by an energy chain that was developed for use under adverse environmental conditions.

Shipyard cranes

Shipyard cranes are usually characterised by their high load capacities and long travels of the trolleys, which can easily reach up to 200m in length. With heavy cable weights, the energy chains must always work reliably and protect the routed cables. At the same time, compact and space-saving solutions are also in demand in shipyards in particular.
To meet these requirements, we offer our customers a comprehensive portfolio of heavy duty energy chains, cables and guide troughs for long travels and heavy weights.

Energy supply at 61kg/m cable weight

For a single-girder goliath crane, two trolleys were equipped with our roller e-chains and chainflex cables. One of the energy chains moves a cable weight of 61kg/m.

Roller e-chains for 1500t shipyard crane

Specifically designed for large-sized projects, the two heavy-duty roller energy chains reliably supply two trolleys with energy - over a travel distance of 122m.

Supply of 16 trolleys for Goliath crane

16 crane trolleys travel on this gigantic Goliath crane with a load capacity of 15,000 tons. Our roller energy chains ensure safe cable guidance.

Functionally reliable even in typhoon storms

Three shipyard cranes are currently in use at the southern port of Shanghai's Pudong area. The energy and data supply to the gigantic lifting elements is implemented via our plastic energy chain systems.


Bulk handling cranes

Bulk handling cranes place extreme demands on cable solutions in many respects: while the travels for the transport of bulk goods often reach several 100 metres in length, all components must withstand outdoor weather conditions throughout the year. But also the high level of dirt and dust during transport of, for e.g., ores, sand or gravel require energy chains with high robustness, corrosion resistance, maintenance-free and long service life.

Plastic energy chain in steelworks

In this steel factory, a plastic energy chain replaces a previously used vulnerable metal chain at the unloading station of raw metal and metal scrap.

Ship loader in the Baltic Sea port of Wismar

In the course of the conversion measures at the Baltic Sea port of Wismar, a ship loader that was previously used exclusively for loading potash was converted for handling different bulk goods.

Roller energy chain in ship unloader

In Malaysia, two roller energy chains operate on a travel of 441.3m for two massive bulk handling cranes for coal transport.

550m travel in taconite mine

At a taconite mine in the USA, a low-maintenance plastic energy chain was installed on a conveyor system for the rock with 550 metres of travel.

Bulk handling crane in lignite power plant

In a Czech lignite plant, the stacker is reliably supplied with energy, data and media via a plastic energy chain over a travel of 615m.

Longest travel with rol e-chain®

For an international customer, we have implemented the world's longest travel with a roller energy chain on two bucket wheel excavators.

Bucket wheel excavators in chalk mining

A robust e-loop® energy supply system is used to ensure safe and low-maintenance energy supply to the spreader of this bucket wheel excavator for mining chalk.

Outdoors cranes

Crane systems and cable guides used outdoors must be protected from harsh environmental conditions in particular. High resistance to corrosion, strong wind and abrasion of the often unprotected energy supply systems ensure long service life and consistent planning reliability in daily operation.

Energy chain in sludge treatment plant

In a huge sludge treatment plant in Antwerp, a plastic energy chain guarantees a long service life of the plant with a high fill weight.

New cable guide for steelworks cranes

The railway technology supplier "Corus Rail" has replaced the existing festooning on indoor and outdoor cranes in its steel plant with our energy chains.

Bearing of the crane trolley wheels

This crane trolley on a refurbished crane girder moves outdoors. The bearings of the wheels should therefore be as maintenance-free and weather-resistant as possible.

Other user reports

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The terms "igus", "Apiro", "chainflex", "CFRIP", "conprotect", "CTD", "drylin", "dry-tech", "dryspin", "easy chain", "e-chain", "e-chain systems", "e-ketten", "e-kettensysteme", "e-skin", "e-spool", "flizz", "ibow", "igear", "iglidur", "igubal", "igutex", "kineKIT", "manus", "motion plastics", "pikchain", "readychain", "readycable", "ReBeL", "speedigus", "triflex", "robolink", "xirodur", and "xiros" are legally protected trademarks of the igus® GmbH/ Cologne in the Federal Republic of Germany and where applicable in some foreign countries.

igus® GmbH points out that it does not sell any products of the companies Allen Bradley, B&R, Baumüller, Beckhoff, Lahr, Control Techniques, Danaher Motion, ELAU, FAGOR, FANUC, Festo, Heidenhain, Jetter, Lenze, LinMot, LTi DRiVES, Mitsubishi, NUM,Parker, Bosch Rexroth, SEW, Siemens, Stöber and all other drive manufacturers mention on this website. The products offered by igus® are those of igus® GmbH