Intelligent breakage detection for e-chains

Unfortunate circumstances - not always a chain of events thanks to i.Sense EC.B

Links in e-chains® are made for tough continuous use. But forces may still sometimes overtax your e-chain®. When that happens, the EC.B sensor detects link breakage in your e-chain® immediately and, in the worst case, sends a notification right away. This allows you or your system to intervene directly, frequently preventing both additional damage (to the opposite chain link) and system failure.

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The advantages of i.Sense EC.B at a glance:

▲ Tech up

Real-time condition data acquisition of the energy supply
Extension of the maximum service life
Integration into Industry 4.0 / IIoT concepts

▼ Cost down

Avoidance of unplanned downtimes
Prevention of total failure in the event of individual link breakages
Reduction of maintenance costs through early warnings

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What is i.Sense EC.B and what are its benefits?

At what point does purchasing an i.Sense EC.B pay off for me?

How does i.Sense EC.B fit into a predictive maintenance concept?

What practical i.Sense EC.B success stories are there?

What are the technical components of i.Sense EC.B?

What is on-site i.Sense EC.B assembly like?

Intelligent breakage detection i.Sense EC.B

Learn how the EC.B works in 82 seconds

Module (EC = e-chain B = break detection) recognises breaks in individual chain links
A rope is stretched through the e-chain, which picks up any change in length and reports it to the EC.B sensor.
This detects chain breaks, switches off the system and prevents consequential damage

What technical components does i.Sense EC.B consist of?

The smart breakage monitoring technology in detail

Sensors
The sensor unit consists of a housing, a steel cable guide, a guide roller, a tension spring and a 100mm travel measuring system. From 35m travel, a cable sensor is used to measure the linear movement in the cable and convert the change in travel into an electrical signal. Two sensor units are required for chain widths greater than 350mm.

The associated cable consists of an extremely tear-resistant, non-elastic Kevlar fibre. The special separators guide the rope in the neutral phase of the e-chain. They are fitted on every second chain link.

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Evaluation module
All the sensor data supplied on the push/pull forces is then permanently analysed with the i.Sense module II, which is assembled in the switch cabinet of the system to be monitored and connected with chainflex cables. All movement anomalies are recognised immediately and reported directly to the user or the machine control system, e.g. Siemens PLC, via a switching contact. With the latest generation, up to four condition monitoring sensors can be connected simultaneously to just one switch cabinet module, which means considerable savings in space and cost.

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Connectivity
The new module also offers a variety of typical Industry 4.0 use cases such as remote resetting or an SMS/e-mail alarm function. In addition to direct integration into the PLC plant control system to prevent total machine failure in an emergency, the i.Sense module also offers other network options.

On the one hand, location-independent alerting can be implemented via the optional SMS module. And secondly, in conjunction with an i.Cee module, all recorded sensor data can be displayed on an online dashboard.

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How is the i.Sense EC.B sensor box mounted on the chain?

EC.B Sensor box with standard mounting plate mounted on the mounting bracket

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i.Sense EC.B sensor installed on the crane

The sensor cable is attached inside the sensor box and the chain with the special separators.

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Mounting with 180° special mounting plate especially for crane applications

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EC.B final assembled on a container crane

Konstantin Schmer explains the system

The EC.B (EC = e-chain, B = breakage detection) module is installed at the moving end of the e-chain
Special mounting brackets enable the EC.B sensor to be installed at the moving end of the e-chain
The addition of an EC.M (EC = e-chain, M = motion) sensor to the breakage detection (EC.B) enables the step from pure condition monitoring to predictive maintenance. With the additional measured values (speed, acceleration, temperature), the system can predict a service life and indicate maintenance times

Intelligent breakage monitoring successfully realised

Industry 4.0: i.Sense EC.B in practice

Sewage and wastewater treatment plants

Harbour and container cranes

Conveying and bulk handling

Abrasion and breakage monitoring

"In the past, visual inspections of energy chain systems resulted in no complaints, but two weeks later the chain failed. This can be prevented by the intelligent i.Sense EC.B breakage monitoring system."

New product of the month at the engine plant of a German premium car manufacturer

Worldwide customer application

In international automotive production, global crane industry, or regional wastewater plants: i.Sense EC.B systems are successfully used wherever maintenance costs are saved and machine downtime prevented.

Click here for the application overview

When do I need a smart condition monitoring system like i.Sense EC.P?

When regular maintenance work requires complete production shutdown ...

When motion anomalies cannot be detected by humans in time ...

If maintenance work poses a health or safety risk ...

If maintenance costs are to be reduced and service life extended ...

If plants or machines need to be monitored frequently or continuously ...

If energy supply system travels are difficult to access or view ...

When does the purchase of i.Sense EC.B pay off?
It is often difficult to assess the financial benefits of safety systems, especially because the initial investment in a modern condition monitoring system naturally increases the maintenance costs at the beginning. That's why we analysed the entire period of use in a break-even analysis based on practical experience in an automotive production hall.

If all typical maintenance costs are offset against the average costs in the manufacturing industry in Germany of EUR 41.60 for one working hour, the benefit threshold of an i.Sense EC.B system is already reached in the 3rd year of use, even in the conservative scenario (regular case).

View the full break-even analysis

i.Sense EC.B as the basis for predictive maintenance

Always the optimum maintenance strategy with smart plastics from igus

Only the intelligent networking of individual condition monitoring systems such as i.Sense EC.B creates a solid basis for predictive maintenance concepts, also known as preventive maintenance or predictive maintenance. At igus, everything about predictive maintenance is summarised under the term i.Cee ("see" = I see ahead). Similarly, i.Sense ("sense" = I feel) covers all condition monitoring systems.

The central element in this area is the i.Cee software. This software in the i.Cee module in conjunction with the i.Sense condition monitoring sensors on the energy chain, the plain bearing bush or a linear slide turn the products available from stock into smart products. This upgrade makes it possible to determine the maximum service life and optimum maintenance intervals in real time based on actual usage data.

More about predictive maintenance with smart plastics

All condition monitoring systems at a glance in the brochure

Overview of smart plastics

Insight into the complete igus product portfolio for Industry 4.0

Content overview of this free brochure:

Condition monitoring (i.Sense)
Systems for condition monitoring
Advantages of condition monitoring systems
Application examples of condition monitoring
Predictive maintenance (i.Cee)
Systems for predictive maintenance
Advantages of predictive maintenance systems
Application examples for predictive maintenance
Data flow in modern smart factory concepts

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Personalised advice is guaranteed
Do you also have a crane or system where you would like to determine the tensile forces of the e-chain in order to increase system safety?
Then please get in touch with me.

I look forward to hearing from you!

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Our intelligent e-chain systems are already being used reliably in many hundreds of thousands of applications worldwide - from beverage vending machines and CNC machines to steelworks. Unsupported lengths can be bridged with ease and long travels are conceivable for a wide range of industries.