Ready, set, cut: Module Connect ensures fast commissioning of the energy supply system in the wood industry

Markus Hueffel | 16. April 2021

Despite the quaint origins of this industry in the age of the lumberjacks, all industry operations are now highly automated. Our current customer application is a large machine park used to manufacture furniture pieces. Inside the machines there are special partition walls behind which the wooden elements wait for their next processing step. They work with very high precision and are in operation 24 hours a day. In addition, the machines each have two axes, motors, many sensors and other signals, which is the reason why a central and compact interface offers a great advantage.

Often, such machines then face logistical challenges in the event of service, where there is planned or unplanned downtime. On the one hand, a ready-made system with 100 metres of cables including intermediate plug-in points could be ordered and this correspondingly heavy system is then routed through the hall, which takes a lot of time and effort for installation. Or individual parts can be sourced that are easier and simpler to handle, but are very time-consuming and error-prone when assembling and completing.

In addition, several machines often work independently of each other. However, they are connected to each other via a safety circuit. If one machine fails, all four machines are stopped. For this reason, it is so important to be able to replace the entire energy chain quickly and safely in the event of a machine breakdown, thus saving valuable time.

Module Connect: ready-to-connect interface solution

The ready-to-connect readychain complete solution often offers the greatest advantages. The fully harnessed energy chains are designed accordingly, including the plug & play interface solution Module Connect. This means that the different types of cables, from servo and bus cables up to data cables, can all be safely connected to the system together in one interface. This can only be implemented in a compact and safe manner thanks to the modular structure of Module Connect with its numerous application possibilities.

Thanks to the igus interface solution, every system operator is now able to unplug and plug in the self-coded assembly – absolutely securely and without specialist personnel. The individually configured assemblies offer a high degree of modularity as well as safe production processes. Often the work on such a system takes several days. Module Connect not only simplifies handling considerably, but also significantly reduces downtime and maintenance costs.

With Module Connect, plug-in modules can be individually configured using the modular system. Here, a housing can be equipped with up to four different plug inserts. The housings are then joined together, allowing almost unlimited module variations in individual width and height. Accessories such as mounting plates, label carriers, locking elements and various strain relief elements allow Module Connect to merge into a complete chain plug-in module. Another advantage: only as many plug inserts are attached as actually needed. The connector modules can be adapted to the filling and geometry of the respective energy chain in one or more layers. This enables ideal cabling in terms of function and design for every application.