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.