How the energy chains modular system improves the visibility while working.

Dieter Reitz | 12. July 2019

On many construction machines, the height of the driver’s cabin is adjustable so that the operator can see the working space better or completely – the company Sennebogen uses this solution on many of its material handling machines. To automatically adjust the cabin, all required hoses and electrical cables are guided in one energy chain. Here we have listed how we came to a reliable solution together. The biggest challenge was the tight space and the kinematics of the system.

The height-adjustable E270 cabin, which is the most frequently used at SENNEBOGEN, can ascend 2.70 m within ten seconds and move down in eight seconds. In order to ensure the supply of energy, data and hydraulics to the driver’s cabin, a chain with the so-called extension link was conceived from the E4/Light energy chain series. The extension link provides greater stability of the energy chain and also allows, for example, a separation of the energy and data cables from the hydraulic hoses to increase the service life of the guided cables and hoses.

Before this solution went into production and many hundreds of excavators were equipped with the new solution, we tested the system  on a material handler in a junkyard for one year under real conditions. After one year, together with the customer, we conducted an inspection of the equipment at the junkyard. The components used looked like new.

These findings have convinced the customer and us that this chain can now be installed as a standard.