igus: Switch-off protection on long distances: New EC.PR system monitors energy chain

A forgotten screwdriver in an energy chain, a bent trough, as well as ice, snow and bulk material can quickly lead to a total failure of cranes at high costs. Therefore igus has now developed a new push/pull force monitoring system. The EC.PR precisely records the force values of the floating carrier and adjusts the force limits. This prevents high repair costs and damage to the system.

A system failure is the worst case scenario for crane operators. This is because high costs are often incurred not only for repair and maintenance, but above all for downtime and thus for non-produced goods. igus has developed the EC.PR system especially for long travel distances of Energy Chains® from 150 meters, which uses sensors to determine the push/pull force of the Energy Chain® and automatically switches off when a defined force is exceeded. In this way, a crash of the system can be prevented. If, for example, a foreign object enters the Energy Chain® or the trough bends, the push/pull force increases at the position. The system detects the changed value and switches the system off. By means of the new EC.PR system, the force for switching off the trolley is automatically adjusted to the position. The system receives the position information from additional modules of the Siemens PLC, an OPC-UA server, analog or digital position measuring systems. The EC.PR system can be easily integrated into existing control concepts and control cabinets.

Tested under real conditions on outdoor test facility

The EC.PR system consists of two sensors that communicate with each other. One sensor measures the push/pull force of the e-chain, while a digital distance measuring system, for example, determines the exact position of the trolley or the driver of the e-chain. For this purpose, so-called “beacons” are attached to the outside of the guide trough at a distance of 500 millimeters. Each position and thus each beacon is assigned a specific push/pull force. If the assigned maximum push/pull force of a position is exceeded, the system switches off automatically via the EC.PR. The user can remove the foreign object from the energy chain, reset the system and then put the system back into operation. The new system has already been successfully tested on the 200 meter long outdoor test stand at igus in Cologne.

For more information, please visit: https://www.igus.de/