E-chains, also known as energy chains or cable carriers, protect and guide pipes and cables, minimizing wear and tangling. First made of steel in the 1950s, they now use flexible plastics and can bend in one direction without affecting function. They are used in various settings, including manufacturing, construction, and car washes.
Sometimes called energy chains or cable carriers, e-chains are simple guides that are used to encompass different types of pipes and cables. An energy chain helps minimize wear and tear on the hose or cable it protects, while also helping to alleviate the degree of tangling that can sometimes occur with extended lengths of hose. As such, the chain can also be seen as a safety device.
The first examples of e-chain® emerged during the 1950’s decade. These early designs were normally constructed of some type of metal, with steel being the metal of choice. Configurations of different types have allowed the drive chain to be incorporated into all types of pneumatic and hydraulic hose designs, a feature which has proved useful in increasing the efficiency of hoses used in different types of automated machinery, particularly in plants of production. Over the years, the steel energy chain has been eclipsed by chains constructed using polypropylene or other flexible plastics that can provide pipe protection without inhibiting flexibility.
It is not uncommon for an e-chain® design to allow the protected cable or pipe to bend in one direction, without adversely affecting the function of the pipe. For example, hoses used to direct a constant stream of air for cleaning textile machines can easily be bent slightly to allow the hose nozzle to be directed into confined spaces where lint from cotton and other cotton blends tends to collect. fabrics. The action of the chain helps to prevent the hose itself from snapping or otherwise weakening due to kinking, thus ensuring airflow is always at optimal levels. The function of the chain also helps ensure that the operator is not exposed to an uncontrolled blast of air due to hose failure.
The energy chain can be used to secure pipes and cables in a variety of different settings. Drag conveyor chains are often used in automated car washes and manufacturing facilities such as an oil rig. Cranes, forklifts and other types of tools used in construction also use pipes and cables protected with energy chains. Since the chain can be used with hoses that require a flow of liquids, gases, electric current or even data flow, there is virtually no setting where a drag chain would not prove useful.
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