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Durable Cable Management for Indoor and Overhead Gantry Cranes

Space‑saving, low‑maintenance cable guidance for safer crane operation

Durable energy chains and cables for gantry and indoor cranes are essential components designed to support efficient overhead movement of loads within buildings, such as in production and assembly areas. Because these cranes are fixed to the building, they allow for movement in three directions while reliably guiding cables, hoses, and energy supplies.

Ensuring short downtimes, low maintenance, and functional reliability is critical for economic efficiency and occupational safety. Given the unique building conditions and application areas, indoor cranes, including gantry cranes, are typically custom-built, along with their crane tracks and energy supply systems.

igus® e-chain® cable carriers are a durable and cost-effective alternative to busbars, festoons and cable reels. Engineered from high‑performance plastics with a space‑saving design, e‑chain® systems can be easily mounted either directly on the crane or on top of it. This makes them an ideal choice for both overhead gantry cranes and indoor cranes operating in demanding environments.

Advantages of our components for overhead cranes:

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Browse cable management products for indoor & overhead gantry cranes

chainflex cables

chainflex cables

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Series 2600 energy supply for bridge cranes

E2/000 energy supply

  • Easy opening and insertion of cables
  • Quick assembly
  • Robust and long-lasting
  • Always secure seating of the separators
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e-spool cable guidance

e-spool cable reel

  • Prevents tensile strain on the cables
  • Energy supply in all directions with an e-chain
  • Space-saving design
  • Guide various diameters and media
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i.Sense - condition monitoring

i.Sense - condition monitoring

  • Save maintenance costs
  • The plant's status can be called up online
  • Maintenance messages straight to your phone
  • Automatic ordering of spare parts
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E2000 energy supply with rollers

Rolling energy supply

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Liftband for vertical energy supply

liftband

  • Lightweight and space-saving cable guidance
  • Speeds up to 1m/s
  • Acceleration up to 2m/s2
  • Max. extension length 13m
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Guide trough for energy chains and cables

Guide trough

  • Flexible and easy assembly
  • Glide strip protects from wear
  • Suitable for long travels
  • Lightweight
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guidefast guide trough

guidefast guide rails

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guidefast control - cable guidance for control pendants

guidefast control

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EC.PP trough-integrated path measurement system

EC.PP with shafts


The quick and easy to install position measuring system for every type of crane. Provide you crane with millimetre-accurate positioning and also create the possibility of integrating other smart plastics products, which further increases the safety and performance of the system.

Indoor and overhead gantry crane applications

Industry: Steel industry

Heat and dust: energy supply system for indoor crane under adverse conditions

What was needed?
Pre-assembled energy chain for use in a heavy-duty application

Requirements:
Tight installation space, resistance to high temperatures and heavy soiling, trouble-free operation.

Success for the customer:
Quick assembly on the crane bridge by delivering the filled energy chain on transport drums. The very compact chains also do not have to be dismantled or packed for onward transport to the place of use.

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Slab handling crane

Industry: Cranes

Tailored energy supply for indoor cranes on a 32m long crane runway

What was needed?
Plastic energy chain with aluminium-guide trough, chainflex®-cable

Requirements:
The energy supply had to fulfil requirements in terms of durability and compactness of the system.

Success for the customer:
Overall, the energy chain with internal cable and the combination with the aluminium troughs resulted in a system that is both compact and space-saving.

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Energy chain with chainflex cables in the crane

Industry: Cranes, indoor cranes

50% more storage space thanks to pre-assembled energy supply systems in an indoor crane

What was needed?
Robust and reliable pre-fitted readychain harnessed energy chain.

Requirements:
Low installation height, suitable for harsh environmental conditions, Reverse Bend Radius.

Success for the customer:
The pre-fitted energy chain solution from igus enabled Kranservice Herz to create 50% more storage space. 30% thanks to the sliding shelf solution and 20% thanks to the low overall height of the crane.

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Herz indoor crane

Industry: Waste incineration, crane

Reliable energy supply for harsh environments in waste incineration plant

What was needed?
Roller energy chain, 316 stainless steel gutters

Requirements:
Extreme use of the energy solution without breaks, changing humidity, replacement during operation with only short interruptions, incomplete documentation of the crane systems.

Success for the customer:
Creation of an electrical engineering plan, creation of a customised energy supply solution, installation of the energy chain and commissioning.

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Weisweiler waste incineration plant

Industry: Cranes

Wear-resistant plastic energy chain under high acid load in indoor cranes

What was needed?
energy chain system E4/4 including guide trough

Requirements:
Due to a high hydrogen chloride content in the air of the pre-treatment line of approx. 2%, all components in the system are exposed to a high acid load. A wear-resistant solution was to be found for these conditions.

Success for the customer:
The chemical-resistant material igumid® EG+ ensures high resistance despite the high hydrogen chloride content. The material also has very low total moisture absorption, which enables increased resistance to aggressive chemicals.

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Industry: Crane construction

Energy chain for indoor cranes in foundry with high temperatures and contamination

What was needed?
E4/4 energy chains, designed as roller energy chains

Requirements:
High temperatures of permanently 55°C in the foundry, coupled with high levels of contamination from moulding sand, graphite and metallic dust.

Success for the customer:
The chains are robust and allow long travel distances. As roller energy chains, the drive power of the crane for moving the chain was reduced to less than 25%. Long-term trouble-free operation was achieved in a very harsh environment.

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Indoor cranes

Industry: Indoor cranes, material processing

Energy chain in indoor crane in metal processing in scorching hot environment

What was needed?
E4/4 series plastic-energy chain

Requirements:
A cable guide was needed that would permanently protect the internal cables under hot temperatures and highly abrasive environmental conditions such as dust and hot metal swarf. In addition, a space-saving alternative to the festooning system had to be found.

Success for the customer:
During the last inspection at the customer's premises 35 months after installation, no incidents have occurred and the system is working without any failures. The customer is so satisfied that installation in other cranes is also planned for the coming years.

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Indoor cranes

Industry: Cranes, steelworks

Tailored energy supply for indoor cranes on a 32m long crane runway

What was needed?
e-spool® energy chain

Requirements:
A maintenance-free, highly available cable routing system for the coil crane was required.

Success for the customer:
Since the system was installed in 2013, the new energy supply has been working without any failures. The transmission quality and safety of the cable routing have increased, saving the customer valuable time and money.

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Coil crane Salzgitter energy chain e-spool®

Industry: Cranes

Space-saving and durable plastic-energy chain for slewing gear on overhead crane

What was needed?
triflex® energy chain

Requirements:
We were looking for an easy-to-install and cost-effective energy supply that would not block the space above the trolley for maintenance purposes.

Success for the customer:
The triflex® energy chain utilises the space under the trolley so that the space on the walkable slewing gear remains accessible for service and maintenance work. It allows rotation of up to + - 150 ° (300 ° in total).

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Scheffer overhead crane

Industry: Cranes

Durable plastic-energy chain successfully replaces festooning in waste crane

What was needed?
Plastic energy chain, supplied as a completely pre-assembled readychain® system, i.Sense Push/Pull Detection System to prevent failures.

Requirements:
High speeds (2.5 m/s) and fast accelerations (0.5 m/s2) were achieved in the cranes. In addition, a long travel of 116 m, a narrow bend radius and the presence of moisture and dust placed additional load on the energy supply.

Success for the customer:
By installing two e-chain®, the required cable length and cable cross-sections were significantly reduced, resulting in major savings. In addition, the service life increased to 7.5 years for the e-chain® and 10 years for the cable.

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energy chain in waste processing

Industry: Overhead cranes

Energy chains successfully replace trailing cables on bridge cranes in concrete plant

What was needed?
Reliable complete readychain® system that constantly supplies the cranes with energy.

Requirements:
Easy to open, robust system that can withstand external conditions, reliable operation.

Success for the customer:
With a completely pre-assembled system from igus, installation times were kept short and a longer production downtime was avoided.

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Crane robots

Industry: Cranes

Conveniently installed energy supply system on the girder of an indoor crane

What was needed?
guidefast guide system for easy assembly of energy chain.

Requirements:
The manufacturer was looking for a new cable routing solution that would require less installation and maintenance than the previous festooning system.

Success for the customer:
The guidefast guide trough is simply attached to suitable brackets on the side of the crane and fixed in place with clamping blocks. This means that the customer does not have to weld the system to the crane at all. The manufacturer and its customers are also impressed by the sleek appearance.

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energy chain in guidefast guide trough

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Contact details

dan seeney
Dan Seeney

Cranes and Ports Specialist

07768 396792Contact us

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