We take the difficulty out of even the most complex energy supply systems

We carry out the entire project planning for engineering projects in-house and put them through their paces in the world's largest test laboratory for energy supply. With our global engineering and assembly network, we can manage projects worldwide and deliver, assemble, test and maintain them at short notice.

Scroll down for a short journey through some of our project highlights:

1992 First major project: driving simulator

At the time, the driving simulator was unique in terms of acceleration and speed.

1993 Skidding application offshore

In "Rig Skidding" applications, a harsh environment and high additional loads make for difficult conditions. The application was successfully solved with the E4 series plastic-energy chain. The advantages over steel chains:

Corrosion and UV-resistant
Gentle on cables and hoses thanks to plastic-interior separation
Weight saving of up to 70 % compared to steel chains
Modular design and easy to modify
Seawater-resistant and suitable for offshore use

1995 Composting plant

Reliable energy supply in extremely high humidity: A customised heavy-duty guide trough with 6 m support spacing was installed for use in a composting plant. It carries an e-chain® (model 5050CR.40.300.S10.0.E) travelling at 186 m and 0.17 m/s, including chainflex® cable and hose.

1996 RTG retrofit in the UK

The Rubber Tired Gantry was previously equipped with festooning or so-called cable towing systems. Our pilot project with the energy chain 5050.35.250.0 incl. chainflex® cable and stainless steel guide trough was a success: today, over 3,500 systems are in use worldwide.

1997 Ship unloader in Canada

The model 4040CR.15.250.0 energy chain is used on two ship unloaders in a galvanised project guide trough including housing. Over a distance of 151.5 metres, the chain travels at 5 m/s - a unique speed at the time.

1998 Royal Opera London

zig-zag solution for stage technology: an e-chain® with a space-saving drop basket is installed on a 30-metre span on the truss of the London Royal Opera, into which the chain folds silently in a zig-zag movement.

1999 Rotation module for telescope in Hawaii

A rotation module for the Gemini Telescope at an altitude of 4200 metres on the Mauna Kea volcano in Hawaii, the special requirements here: high UV and ozone resistance as well as earthquake resistance.

Rotation application with 540°
Equipment: Azimuth with e-chain® 640.600/600.400/1800.0, the mirror with e-chain® 5050.30.150/1825.0 can still be swivelled by 90°.

The igus® e-chain® originally supplied by us are still in use today.

2003 Ship unloader in Malaysia

Three different e-chain® ensure a safe energy supply for the ship unloaders:

For the 441 m long longitudinal drive, the e-chain® 5050CR.28.300.0 replaces the previous motorised cable reel. For the trolley drive, the e-chain® 5050CR.21/21/21.250.S10.0.E travels at 3.16 m/s for 90.5 metres. For the driver's cab, e-chain® 4040C.25.150.0 is used for a travel of 70.8 metres.

2003-2007 The project business picks up speed

Projects in a wide variety of industries

Waste incineration plants, movable stadium roofs and playing fields, train washing systems, sea locks, dams, passenger boarding bridges, oil tanks, power stations, ...

Successful references in numerous industries document our solution expertise and spur us on.

2007 World record: Longest travel distance 615 m

We have installed the longest plastic-energy chain in the world at the Tušimice lignite-fired power plant in the Czech Republic - it runs on a 615 metre track. This sometimes happens in 24/7 continuous operation, sometimes it is at a standstill for a month. The chain has coped with these conditions to this day without any problems, only a few plastic crossbars have had to be replaced in between. A type 5050RHD chain is used. The chain links contain rollers, which greatly reduce the coefficient of friction and save 57% of the drive energy required to move the energy chain system.

Find out more about this application

2009 Flying carousel in Vienna

You probably know the Ferris wheel at the Vienna Prater. Another attraction is the world's largest chain carousel at the time with a tower height of 112 metres. An e-chain® E4.56 including chainflex® cable package and vertical flizz® system was used for the energy supply with 80 m stroke. Speed: 2.7 m/s.

2010 Largest e-chain® in the world in Belgium

The E4.350R is the largest plastic-energy chain in the world and is being used as part of the Amoras project in Belgium. In the silt processing plant, the e-chain® runs on a 137 m chainflex® cable and a 300 mm thick hose, which weighs around 100 kg/m when filled with silt and sediment. In addition to the energy supply system, a corrosion-resistant aluminium guide trough and the iSense EC.P diagnostic tool were installed. The tool measures the tensile/push forces of the chain and compares these with a calculated target value.

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2010 Bucket wheel excavator

In a reclaimer from the 1960s and 1970s, a 360° rotary energy supply is used instead of a slip ring in the tightest of spaces and in extremely dirty conditions. The e-chain® 5050C.30/30.400/6850.0 including fibre optic cable and network technology, an igus® guide trough and "floating islands" were installed to ensure reliable guidance even in the event of vibrations and inclined positions.

2012 Offshore: 900° rotation module

We have installed a 900° multi-rotation module in the "Leg Encircling Crane" of a wind turbine installation ship. It enables secure guidance of fibre optic and other data cables, which are used, among other things, for the control system of the cameras on the crane. The complete system was designed and installed according to the customer's requirements and approved during the test run.

2014 Shore power connection for LNG power barge

We have developed the igus® shore power gangway to connect an LNG barge to the quay. On the one hand, this enables the transfer of people from ship to shore. It also contains an igus® cable carrier system that carries four medium-voltage cables with connectors, which are connected to large power supply boxes on the quay. The system also compensates for the constant movements of the barge and can compensate for tidal fluctuations and a swell of up to 8 metres.

2015 Dismantling of an offshore drilling platform

To dismantle an offshore drilling platform, the required cutting tool, including camera monitoring, was lowered 50 metres into the drilling rig's support legs using the e-spool® power, an igus® cable drum without slip ring. The rig could then be dismantled and prepared for transport.

2016 Largest rotary module

Largest rotary module used in a mooring turret

We used the largest rotary module at the time on the winches of the riser pull-in system in the rotating "Mooring Turret" (mooring tower) of an FPSO. Maximum rotation angle: 380°.

2017 1,000 STS cranes equipped with e-chain®

In 2017, we are equipping the 1,000th ship-to-shore crane with an igus® e-chain system®, proving that the trend towards lightweight and durable components has become the state of the art around the world. In the vast majority of cases, roller energy chains are used on long travel distances, which increases the service life of the components, reduces drive power and significantly reduces noise.

2019 e-loop® for suspended applications

For safe cable routing in suspended applications in the oil and gas and offshore industries, in construction machinery, shore power or wind power plants, we have developed the modular energy chain e-loop® developed. It ensures a defined bend radius of the cable and withstands vibrations and shocks. In top drive systems, the e-loop® is an alternative to service loops, which can break off in extreme wind conditions and in which cables can break due to a lack of guidance.

2020 High-speed reverse bend radius

In the automatic lathe from Gildemeister Italiana S.p.A., a drum with 6 spindles moves the workpieces to the respective tools with high precision in just 0.65 seconds. To return to the starting position, the drum has to be turned back by 300°. The unit, which weighs over 3 tonnes, only needs one second to do this. A unique igus® energy supply system is used here, which follows the rotation of the drum and enables the linear movements of the spindle drums - with 8 e-chains, 64 cables and 73 hoses. Gildemeister Italiana was awarded the golden vector 2020 for the application.