This is the first igus® newslet-ter especially for the craneindustry. With two issues of

cranes@igus.de a year we would liketo inform you about new products andservices, presentinteresting applica-tion examples fromthe world of cranesand, above all,come into evencloser contact withyou, our custom-ers. This first issuecontains a reportabout an incredibleachievement inAsia, where our Energy Chain System® isbeing used for the power supply to STScranes, and we also present ourengineering services and a highly innova-tive advanced product development,too. Your opinion, any queries and wis-hes you may have are extremely im-portant to us! Let us know what's onyour mind, what problems you have tobe solved. The easiest way is tosend an e-mail to cranes@igus.de,or contact us by phone under0049-(0)6162-6808.

We would especially like to meet you inperson, of course, at one of our nexttrade fair presentations, for example,between 29th May and 1st June at thisyear's TOC Europe in Hamburg, whereyou will find igus® at booth F2. I look for-ward to being able to personally presentour products to you and show you sug-gestions for a solution to your particularapplication case.

With very best wishes

The igus® newsletter all around the crane industry in the 1/2006 editionissue 1/2006

1 01/2006

The Cologne-based company igus®

GmbH, one of the world's leadingsuppliers of Energy Chain Systems®,is achieving top performances in theFar East. After experience with a portapplication in Malaysia over adistance of 440 metres, the com-pany then installed Energy Chains®

for twelve ship-to-shore cranes inthe Port of Singapore last year. Thesecranes travel distances of up to 500metres.

The Energy Chain Systems® installedin a channel in the ground have beenequipped with stainless steel guidechannels to protect them against the

weather. All twelve systems work inthree through guide channels with anoverall length of 900 metres – with thelength of the quay being 906 metres.

Through the Energy Chain Systems®,the data for each crane are transmit-ted using FOC, and the energy

Incredible achievements in AsiaIn crane construction, operational safety requirements areextremely demanding on account of the very longdistances involved. Expensive downtimes must be avoi-ded. If a ship has to remain in the port longer than neces-sary due to technical problems with the crane equipment,

this is expensive for both ship owners and terminal operators.Energy Chain Systems® play a very important role here, whenpower is to be routed to the moving parts. They ensure thatenergy and data transmission work over hundreds of metres.

@cranes

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Theo Diehl, ProductmanagerEnergy ChainSystems®,Cranes/Material Handling

Publisher :igus® GmbHSpicher Str. 1aD-51127 KölnTel 0049-(0)6162-6808Fax 0049-(0)6162-6809.cranes@igus.de Editorial work: Theo DiehlLayout: Holger ElfesPrint: Courier Druck, Bonn

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Port of Singapore: overview of twelve STS cranes fitted with igus®

Energy Chains® for drives on the quayside.

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igus®' range of Energy Chains® includes more than 40,000different variants. In addition, there are 750 "Chainflex®"cables that can be used for chains as well as more than2,500 electric components available ex stock. "Quite often,

however, customer requirements are so specific that we cannotdeliver "off the peg"," explains Theo Diehl, Product ManagerEnergy Chain Systems® for Cranes.

Expert for Energy Chain Systems®

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cal loads," says Team Leader FrankSchlögel. For the engineer, every indi-vidual case is a challenge. The igus®

motto "Yes we can!" is typical of thecompany's attitude.

Schlögel and his team have been ableto successfully find solutions for appa-

rently unsolvable ca-ses. Cases with travelspeeds of up to 480metres per minute aswell as Energy ChainSystems® which work inextreme heat or inten-se cold have all beensolved. "One suchsystem is in the contai-ner port in Dubai, theother on a railway loa-ding terminal in Si-beria," says Schlögel,not without a little pridein his voice. Beforedelivery, these systemsunderwent intensive

This doesn't really present a problem,however, because a highly qualifiedengineering team at the igus® plant inCologne works on solving such speci-al tasks. "The problem could involveextremely long travel distances, forexample, or systems which are sub-ject to extreme soiling, heat or chemi-

Frank Schlögel (on the right) with Andreas Hermey, Head of Design Dept.

supply is secured using three 6/10kV cables. All the cables are fromthe igus® Chainflex® range. As far asthe system is concerned, this hasthe advantage that one single cranecan be removed from the networkwhile the other cranes continue towork.

The whole channel is covered bycovers which can be opened byeach of the cranes using a combina-tion of cover lifter and moving armfor the chains. This guarantees opti-mum protection from wind and wea-ther in tropical Singapore.

And yet another igus® innovationensures safe operation of the large-scale system in the Port ofSingapore. The innovative diagnosistool "Push-Pull-Force DetectionSystem" continually monitors thefunction of the Energy Chain®. Iffaults occur, an automated messa-ge is sent immediately to manage-ment staff. They can prevent thesystem failing by initiating preventa-tive maintenance in good time.

Find out more about our ConditionMonitoring system in the article onthe right.

Heavy loads: detailed view of a trough with a chain bending radius,"Chainflex®" medi-um voltage single conductor and glass fiber cable.

The data for the pull and pushforces are compared onlinefour times per second with areference specification calcu-lated in advance. The calcula-

tion of the reference specificationdepends on the position of themoved end of the chain, the so-cal-led floating head, among otherthings. If malfunctions occur, war-nings can be issued as an automati-cally generated e-mail or SMS textmessage to anywhere in the worldand evaluated.

Internally stored data can be analy-sed going back three monthsthanks to a memory size of 128 MB.In the Port of Singapore, where fourcranes work distances of 300, 400and 500 metres each, the completesignal processing takes place as"stand alone" solution within thesystem. Data recording, data calcu-lation and faulty behaviour are auto-matically processed using the"PPDS".

This is not the case with the shipunloading equipment in the EMOport on the Dutch North Sea coast.Here, igus® has integrated the dia-gnosis tool directly in the Siemenscontrol unit, so that this can furtherprocess the recorded signals. In

3 01/2006

@cranes

A new igus® development, the Remote Condition Monitoring System for large-scale EnergyChain Systems®, is being used for two large-scale projects in the Port of Singapore and theEMO port in Rotterdam. This new diagnosis tool which is known as "PPDS" for Push-Pull-Force Detection System for short, monitors the displacement forces of the Energy Chains®

and helps to prevent any damage occurring to the Energy Chain System® or failures in thesystem, by means of preventative maintenance or remote intervention in the system.

Online monitoring for preventative maintenance

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tests in igus' own climate chamber.Converting already existing systemsis always tricky. In such cases, theigus® Energy Chains® have to be fit-ted exactly into already existingsystems, which can lead to the spe-cialists travelling around the globe to

have a personal look at the problem.When a container port in the USState of Virginia intents to replace itsout-of-date festoon solution in oneloading terminal by state-of-the-artEnergy Chains®, for example. EastAsia is also a frequent destination.

The igus® special task force is notonly flexible, it is quick, too. If necessary, an igus® engineer canarrive almost anywhere in the worldwithin two days, according to igus®'promise.

addition, igus® has spent aroundthree years testing the new monito-ring system over a crane simulation

stretch 120 metres long in the com-pany's own grounds.

Fully harnessed, ready-made energy supply system ("ReadyChain®"). In order to avoid plant breakdowns, malfunctions can immediately bereported anywhere in the world by means of email or SMS.

@cranes

The Cologne-based igus® GmbH, oneof the world's leading suppliers ofEnergy Chain Systems®, also has tobe there of course. At booth F2 igus®

will be demonstrating its know-howin the field of cranes. Sturdy EnergyChains® made by igus® have beenworking reliably under the most diffi-cult of climatic conditions in manyports in Germany, Europe and otherareas of the world. Thanks to theigus' specialists' decades of experi-ence, optimum solutions can evenbe found for the most demanding ofapplication requirements.

One highlight at the igus® booth willbe the completely new E-Chain®

series P4. The "P" stands for "profileroller" here.

Around the world, there are alreadymore than 1000 systems using con-ventional roller E-Chains® in permanentuse. Yet industry, crane constructionin particular, is making even greaterdemands on length of travel, fillingweight and special travel speeds. Thenew P4 series has a whole range ofnew design features to offer. Thepitch of the side components is thesame with or without roller, for exam-ple. This allows the chain to run moresmoothly. The roller is divided intoprofiles and rolls on one level. The rol-ler contact area is particularly wide.And, finally, the roller is integratedcaptively in the side part. The heavyduty version has been specially desi-gned for high filling weight and pushforces in combination with high speedrollers of upper and lower run of thechains which don't meet.

The 30th "Terminal Operations Conference & Exhibition", or "TOC Europe" for short, will beheld between 30th May and 1st June at the exhibition centre in Hamburg. On show will be

everything to do with merchandise transhipment between water and land. Material handling, logi-stics, drive, transport and storage technology will be the most important subjects. Port authori-ties, terminal operators, freight shipping companies and other branches concerned with seatransport will be present.

From the TOC onwards, things will roll more quietly

Fair

The P4 series is suitable for very longtravel of up to 800 metres and rea-ches a speed of ten metres persecond. Ideal for branches such ascrane technology, shelf storageunits, plant engineering, gantrysystems and transport techno-logy. So a visit to the igus® boothwill definitely be worth your while!

With the title "Reduce cost. Improve live. Proven.", the newcrane CD summarizes everything you need to know about thesubject of igus® E-Chain Systems® for cranes. The CD can beordered free of charge by e-mail under cranes@igus.de

If you are in a hurry, you will find information at your fingertipsunder the special updated igus® page www.igus-cranes.com.

You want to find out more? No problem!

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