East Providence, RI - A manufacturer of digitally controlled industrial cutters uses fully enclosed cable carriers from igus® on its CNC routers, which are designed to cut a variety of materials, including plastics, textiles, steel, wood, granite and marble. The cable carriers protect vital power and control cables from being damaged by flying debris during the cutting process.
A tube version of igus' ‘Rol-E-Chain' cable carrier is used on each of the machine's three axes. Rol-E-Chain cable carriers are ideal for the demanding operating schedule of the CNC routers, which requires some of them to run 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They can also handle the machine's high speeds and extreme loads, which can reach 125 feet-per-minute and 9,000 pounds, respectively.
The specially designed Rol-E-Chain system features hinged, snap-open lids and built-in wheels to facilitate travel over longer distances. The wheels are integrated into the cable carrier's side links so friction is decreased and the drive power required to move the cable carrier is reduced by more than 25 percent. Interior separators are also used to prevent the cables from chafing, twisting or corkscrewing. Thanks to the all-plastic construction of the cable carriers, they outperform comparable metal and steel solutions because they are low noise, maintenance-free and corrosion-resistant.