Whether in seating systems, windscreen wipers or electric sliding doors, the electrification of vehicles is steadily increasing. This is due to the new requirements on the part of the vehicle owners as well as to trends in autonomous driving and e-mobility. At the same time, the stress on electronics in vehicles, for example, is also increasing with car sharing, which means that safe and reliable energy supply must be implemented. As an expert in high-performance plastics for moving applications, Igus has developed appropriate energy chain solutions that guide cables safely even in the smallest of installation spaces.
The electronic systems in the automobile nowadays have to withstand new stresses. In the globally growing car sharing concept, for example, the door must be unlocked autonomously by means of a chip before each journey. The requirements for autonomous door systems are therefore increasing from a standard 200,000 opening and closing cycles to 500,000 cycles. The number of seat and mirror adjustments per day also increases during car sharing and stresses the energy systems.
A fail-safe and long-lasting guidance of the moving cables in very small spaces is therefore required. Here, the use of energy chains from igus is optimal. They protect and guide cables safely even at extreme temperatures. The high-performance plastic from which they are made ensures that they are not only free of corrosion and lubrication, but also very light. The wear resistance of the Igus e-chains proved successful in the Arizona sand test, where the dirt sensitivity of components was apt.
At the IAA, Igus showed, among other things, the e-chain E2 micro. This is specially designed for minimal installation spaces and is already used in electric sliding doors. Available in various sizes for a wide range of application scenarios in the automobile, from the windshield wiper to the tailgate, the E2 micro is optimally suited to ensure energy and signal supply lines safely.
With a size of 4.5 millimetres, it is the smallest plastic energy chain in the world and is suitable for the most confined spaces. With its small pitch, the E2 micro ensures quiet running, wherein relatively large connecting pins between the chain links provide a long service life. Due to their low weight, their use is particularly suitable for highly dynamic applications.
Leave a Reply