Full-service metal fabricator Price Industries saves time and money on high-speed cranes for the wet process industry with ReadyChain complete, preassembled cable carrier system from igus. Price integrates igus'' leading Energy Chains® with its continuous-flex Chainflex® cables and adds various connectors, brackets, strain relief, and other accessories.
"By using igus ReadyChain instead of doing the harnessing ourselves, we eliminated scraps and material drops, which are costly and can lead to production delays," said Sam Boeshart, controls engineering manager for Price Industries. "We no longer have to devote manpower and engineering expertise to something that isn''t our specialty. We know when igus builds our systems they will be built properly and to our specifications."
Price''s automated cranes are used in a variety of industries to move process materials to and from storage, loading and unloading areas, and through product finishing process lines. The ReadyChain systems used by Price vary in size, but are generally comprised of a System E4 Energy Chain, which houses electrical cables and conductors and enables their cranes to travel horizontally to distances in excess of 360 ft. Price chose System E4 Energy Chains based on their noise reduction and long life.
"We also save freight costs by shipping straight to the customer for just-in-time installation," continued Boeshart. "Floor space is valuable, and on larger jobs building cable carrier systems frequently caused logistic and material flow problems. All of that is alleviated with ReadyChain."
Every igus Energy Chain can be used as part of a ReadyChain system, so any application, large or small, can benefit from a ReadyChain solution. Energy Chains are all-plastic cable carriers that house, protect, and extend the service life of cables and hoses attached to automated machinery, primarily in mobile applications. Energy Chain prevents cables from corkscrewing, breaking, and tangling. (Pictured, ReadyChain installed on a gantry crane.)
ReadyChain is an ideal solution for many applications, including storage technology, textile machinery, robotics, tube-bending machines, construction equipment, assembly lines, and gantry cranes such as those developed by Price.
ReadyChain helps organizations to:
- increase production throughput;
- reduce manufacturing costs;
- decrease costly assembly time;
- improve delivery lead times to customers;
- reduce inventory and procurement costs;
- use manufacturing floor space more efficiently;
- and improve speed to market.