Guiding hoses in CNC machine tools: Which e-chain with extender crossbars should I choose?

Trima Triebeser Maschinenbau GmbH specialises in customer-specific CNC machining centres for wood, plastic, and light metal processing. Energy chains were to be used to guide the cables and a suction hose for a new machine.

24-hour operation machine operation and design-related space restrictions played a role in the decision-making process concerning the e-chain with extender crossbars. What challenges should be considered in the choice of e-chain with extender crossbars? And which system was ultimately selected?

Trima: Established specialist in model and mould making

Trima Triebeser Maschinenbau GmbH, based in Zeulenroda-Triebes, Germany, specialises in customer-specific CNC machining centres for wood, plastic and light metal machining. Model- and mould-making places very high demands on workpiece processing, which therefore often calls for individual machine concepts. Trima's solutions allow high-precision workpiece processing in one-off and high-volume production. They also perform well in particularly demanding work on three-dimensional bodies. Once the machines have been sent from Germany all over the world, they are used in a wide variety of areas. The machines are then used to manufacture windows, stairs, doors and furniture; in arch processing; for creating engravings; and to produce toys, special parts and much more.
And thanks to its comprehensive knowledge and many years of tradition in mechanical engineering, Trima has been able to firmly establish itself in these fields of application. The in-house development and design department, a high level of vertical integration, and the comprehensive service to ensure the machine's operational capability also played a role here.

Which e-chain with extender crossbars and energy chains were used? And what were the design benefits?

So how were the requirements for the cable guide and hose guide in the machine tool solved?
A particularly large chain had to be used to guide the voluminous suction hose. The hose measures over 6 metres in length with a diameter of 300mm and is immediately noticeable when looking at the machine. While smaller hoses can be easily guided in energy chains, only an e-chain with extender crossbars was an option here.

After extensive consultation, the machine expert selected its solution from a 70,000-part modular system for energy chains: The energy chain of the E4/light series, namely as an extender crossbar version (Our latest e-chain with extender crossbars, the design study "E4Q", can be found here). This is suitable for hoses with an outer diameter of up to 300mm. The extender crossbars are assembled directly on the side section and ensure optimum hose and cable guidance. The extender crossbar stays are so rigid that they guarantee secure guidance over the entire length of the run, even under load, without the need for additional structural elements. The cable-friendly energy chains of the E4/light series also enable the desired continuous operation.

Additional energy chains easily integrated

The customer's limited space was also taken into account during the consultation. After all, every centimetre counts when designing the machines. A special design feature on the Y-axis is that, in addition to the bulky suction hose, the e-chain with extender crossbars also directly carries the E2/000 series cable-carrying energy chain. This also saves space in the design of the machine.

Other energy chains installed are the E4.1 universal chain on the X-axis and another E2/000 series energy chain on the Z-axis. Trima always uses separators for all energy chains installed. Thanks to their rounded contours, these internal separators ensure a long service life for the cables in harsh everyday operating conditions and keep them in line at all times. This prevents the guided cables from slipping or becoming entangled.