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• What was needed: energy chains of the type E6.52, roller energy chain of the type 3838R and a twisterband for 360° rotations and the vertical stroke of the overhead loader.
• Requirements: low weight, smooth movement, low noise, robustness over a travel distance of up to 11m
• Industries: glass, cutting machines
• Success for the customer: the energy chains enable the desired high productivity of the system at low cost and low noise levels. After the tests, the installation was also able to prove itself in practical use on the customer's premises.

This glass-cutting machine from Turomas Tecnocat cuts glass up to 12m in length and is equipped with several energy chains. In the video: a roller energy chain travels on the bridge of the cutting table.

Problem

The Turomas-Tecnocat Group is dedicated constructing machines for cutting glass. While the company's glass-cutting machines could previously only process glass with a maximum length of 6m, this system is the first in the world to store, transport and process workpieces as long as 12m.
The huge glass-processing machine consists of an automated warehouse, an overhead loading station with suction cups, a swivelling table that picks up the glass from the loading station and sends it to the cutting table, and two swivelling synchronised unloading tables for picking up the glass.
Energy chains were needed for safe cable guidance both for the cutting tables, or more precisely the bridge and the cutting tool, and in the overhead loader. Due to the long travels, particularly long chain versions were required that could also cope with the high acceleration and speed of the cutting table's linear motors. Due to the dimensions, these had to be as lightweight as possible and still ensure strong and quiet movement.
As the loading station revolves around itself for transport from the warehouse to the cutting table, it had to be equipped with a rotating cable guidance.
The overall aim was to create a system that would guarantee high productivity and reliability at low cost.

Solution

The machine manufacturer opted for energy chains of the type E6.52 (E6.52.100.100) for the cutting table of the XXL glass-processing machine with a length of 4m in the Y-axis (cutting tool) and a roller energy chain of the type 3838R (3838R.12.150.0) in the direction of the X-axis (bridge) with a length of 8m.
The axes move with linear motors that ensure an acceleration of 16m/s² and a speed of 212m/min. The e-chains positioned in both axes support this performance and also ensure quiet movement of the glass-cutting machine. In addition to the cutting table, the energy chains were also integrated into the overhead loader, where they have to follow the complex movements. Three chain systems were installed here: one for transporting the glass panes over a travel of 40m, another for an 11m long travel and a third rotating energy supply system, which is used for both the rotation of the loader and the vertical lift. The so-called twisterband has been developed for rotary movements in the smallest of spaces and allows for a 360° rotation.
The energy chains enable the desired high productivity of the system at low cost and low noise levels to ensure optimum working conditions. This also increases the safety of the system, which works with fragile material. After the tests, the installation was also able to prove itself in practical use on the customer's premises. At the time of the last inspection, it had been in continuous production for a whole year without any incidents or the need for extraordinary maintenance work.