igus introduces automatic guiding system

In normal circumstances, the chain’s upper run needs to slide onto the lower run or onto glide bars. Guide troughs are necessary to prevent the upper run moving to one side that can increase wear to the chain system; however, they are not always practical.

The company says that the removal of guide troughs not only speeds the chain travel but also reduces the materials used and, therefore, installation cost. The new chain series uses friction-optimised plastic bar separator elements adapted to cable geometries. Tests have shown that these can increase service life by the factor of four.

igus has three versions of the “auto-glide” mechanism, where the upper run of the energy chain is threaded onto the lower run and guided safely by special comb-like crossbars. These have larger gliding surfaces, further increasing the service life of the energy chain system. A clip-on “guide wing” provides safe threading of the upper run over the first few metres of travel.