Designing compact cabling for cleanrooms

The growing global demand for electric cars and AI is requiring more and more lithium-ion batteries and microchips to be manufactured. At the same time, these technologies are becoming increasingly sensitive, placing high demands on production environments.

In response to this situation, igus has developed a new energy chain for cleanrooms that allows for more flexibility and saves space in energy supply systems.

Tiny electrostatic discharges (ESD) are invisible to the eye, but can damage sensitive products in semiconductor and electronics production. It is therefore important that all machine components used in the vicinity of these products have ESD protection. However, this is not a matter of course when guiding power and data cables as they are generally not dissipative.

“Many design engineers realise special kinds of shielding, but this wastes valuable space in cleanrooms,” said Kira Weller, Product Manager for e-chains and Cleanroom Expert at igus. An equally impractical alternative is to keep a large distance from the product, which can also lead to space problems.

To solve this dilemma, igus developed a new version of the cleanroom-compatible e-skin soft energy chain: the e-skin soft ESD, a compact e-chain that is both abrasion-resistant and dissipative thanks to additives in the material. Electrostatic charges can be dissipated via the mounting brackets, similar to a lightning conductor.

“The new energy chain is a game changer for design engineers as it can be used close to the product without additional shielding,” Weller said.

Space-saving e-chain allows for tight bend radii

The e-skin soft ESD has been designed to require very little installation space. It consists of an upper and a lower shell, which form a closed pipe housing that securely encloses pipes, cables or media guides. It is made from igus’s high-performance plastic, which allows for tight bend radii of 55 mm. The inner height varies between 20, 24, 28 and 40 mm depending on the version; and the inner width between 33, 48, 68 and 85 mm.

Thanks to its oval geometry and defined stiffness, the e-skin soft ESD can also realise unsupported lengths, unlike conventional corrugated hoses — this makes a guide superfluous. In addition, the energy chain is durable, with a service life of more than 20 million double strokes.

Aiming for the highest level of cleanliness: ISO Class 1

The e-skin soft ESD has been made with the strictest cleanroom requirements in mind. “The high-performance plastic is extremely abrasion-resistant, so that no particles are produced during operation, even during fast movements,” Weller said.

Particles from the cables cannot escape either as the upper and lower shells can be joined together to form a closed pipe using the zip principle. “This guarantees both cleanroom suitability and fast filling and maintenance of the cables,” Weller added. The new energy chain has already passed tests in the in-house cleanroom laboratory in Cologne, which were carried out with the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation (IPA). Official certification is expected in the coming weeks.

For more information, visit: www.igus.eu/energy-chain/news/e-skin-soft-esd.

Image courtesy of Treotham Automation.