Energy chains, cables and heavy-duty bearings for port and intermodal crane applications

Industry: STS crane

Safe energy supply to STS crane at the Port of Rotterdam under continuous operation

What was needed?
Roller energy chain P4.1

Requirements:
Long travel distance with high cable weight, work under continuous operation, fast travel speeds and accelerations.

Success for the customer:
The roller energy chain has been running smoothly along the 100 metre travel path since 2015. So far, 9,000 operating hours have been completed.

Industry: Cranes, harbour, heavy-duty

Cable on container cranes in use for over 12 years

What was needed?
Energy chain type E4 5050 RHD, chainflex® cable

Requirements:
A space-saving and robust cable solution had to be found. Energy chain and cable are confronted with a high turnover frequency and 54 metres of travel. Added to this were high dynamics with speeds of up to 240 m/min. and constant exposure to the elements.

Success for the customer:
The new energy and signalling supply system offers longer service life, allowing a much more compact design. At an interim check 12 years after installation, the first igus® cable set was still installed, having handled around 100,000 container movements at that time.

Industry: Cranes

Quiet and failure-free plastic energy chain in container loading crane

What was needed?
Roller e-chain P4

Requirements:
A quiet e-chain was needed, as the harbour is located near a residential area. As this is the only loading crane at the harbour, the cable routing also had to be absolutely failure-free.

Success for the customer:
The design enables the chain to roll quietly, with the necessary drive force of the e-chain reduced to less than 25%.

Industry: Crane systems

Low-wear profile rol e-chain® allows a long service life on STS bridge crane

What was needed?
P4.1 Energy chain

Requirements:
A cable guidance system was required that would allow all cables to move safely at all times in rough weather and at high trolley travelling speeds.

Success for the customer:
In accordance with the operator's specifications, a cable guide with increased chain strength, reduced friction, minimised wear, extended service life, lower noise during travel and no corrosion or slippage at all was found with the P4.1.

Industry: Cranes

High speed, long travels: cable guidance for STS cranes

What was needed?
E4/4 Heavy Duty energy chain, chainflex® cable, Condition Monitoring System.

Requirements:
A cable routing system was needed that would allow long travel distances and heavy cable weights and work reliably over the long term. As the trolleys travel up to 240 metres per minute, the system also had to be designed for high travel speeds.

Success for the customer:
The energy chains are characterised by their high material strength and service life and can cope with higher pulling and pushing forces. Another advantage is the weight saving compared to a conventional system. Built-in sensors monitor the compressive and tensile forces of the energy chainallowing preventive maintenance measures to be taken.

Industry: Crane technology

Safe cable guidance on STS cranes at high wind speeds

What was needed?
Energy chain

Requirements:
A safe cable routing system was required that could move all cables safely even at wind speeds of over 70 km/h at the harbour.

Success for the customer:
The cables in the old festooning system intertwined and had to be untangled at great expense in terms of time and money to prevent them from being damaged afterwards. With the e-chain®, such work is now completely eliminated. Even after the first few months, the system proved to be the right choice.

Industry: Cranes

Lubrication-free and maintenance-free heavy-duty bearings in the chassis of new RTG cranes

What was needed?
High load bearing " igutex ® TX, Roller-energy chain P4HD, chainflex® cable

Requirements:
The customer was looking for bearing points that could support particularly high loads in the chassis of the RTG cranes, withstand harsh environmental conditions and reduce.

Success for the customer:
The high-load bearings offer a maximum permissible surface pressure of 200 MPa. The special feature: thanks to the inner layer optimised for sliding properties, they are friction-optimised, durable and maintenance-free. The customer can dispense with regular maintenance and at the same time increase safety during crane operation.

This is where customers rely on energy chain

In the video, those responsible at the Port of Virginia explain why the port is relying on the energy chain for its new STS cranes. After equipping 8 STS cranes with e-chain® in one project, maintenance costs were reduced to a minimum while durability increased. Or as Jeff Johnston, responsible for maintenance at the Port of Virginia, summarises:

"[...] reliability, ease of maintenance and peace of mind."

Jeff Johnston, Manager Crane Maintenance Port of Virginia