Advantages of Using Energy Chain on an Overhead Crane System

Efficient Design

Most importantly, energy chain offers a simple clean design and a simplified installation. It’s really just a matter of attaching the trough to the main girder of the crane. From there, you run the power and control cable through the chain and lay it in the trough. One end of the chain bends into a u-shape and gets connected to a tow arm, and the other is a fixed end anchored to the trough.

Installing, removing, or splicing of the power or control cable can be done easily and efficiently to simplify installation and reduce equipment downtime.

Space-Savings

In a manufacturing or high-production facility, energy chain can be a great option for crane electrification. It eliminates the flat cable that hangs off of a festoon system—which can potentially get tangled or caught on nearby equipment, machinery, or other obstructions. It’s also ideal for applications with low headroom or for facilities where you need to utilize work space under the crane.

In some instances, it may make sense to pay more upfront for a streamlined energy chain design, which will help offset the costs of a difficult installation or frequent maintenance and inspections.

Durability

The chain itself is designed to protect the power and control cables against abrasion, environmental factors, and dirt and debris. Energy chain excels in any heavy-duty application in outdoor weather, or dirty environments like steel mills, cement plants, shipping or container yards, offshore facilities, etc.

Specialized components can be added for outdoor applications to add additional abrasion protection, as well as UV resistance to cables in high heat environments and protect against liquid corrosion. The chain itself can also be fully enclosed to add additional cable protection against dirt and debris, wood chips or metal shavings.

The flexible chain design is configured to offer a wider turning radius which helps to protect the wires from bending fatigue and prevents broken wires.

Versatility

Energy chain holds its form when traveling long distances and can be used on cranes with wide spans. Energy chain can be utilized with hoist trolleys that run at high or low speeds. It can also be used reliably on high usage and high duty cycle crane systems. Energy chain provides superior protection against weather and dirt exposure and is compatible with indoor or outdoor environments and all types of climates. In addition, energy chain can be configured to provide these additional benefits:

• Open or enclosed chain design
• Plastic, steel, or stainless chain design
• Low noise / cleanroom compliance
• High load resistance
• High use / high duty cycle systems
• Chemical, water, and temperature resistance
• Virtually Maintenance Free

Compared to festoon systems, which can suffer from corrosion and general wear in demanding operating environments, energy chain is virtually maintenance free—requiring only a visual inspection to ensure the chain is in good working condition and to check for wear or damage to the cable. Festoons require scaffolding or man lifts to access the crane’s electrification system and multiple components need to be inspected for wear, corrosion, or damage.

Energy chain also utilizes a special highly flexible cable which resists fatigue and broken wires to extend the cable’s service life.