Robust and corrosion-free cable guide for spray robots in greenhouses

• What was needed: e-chain® E2/000, supplied as a preassembled readychain® system
• Requirements: an uneven floor, long travel distances, a high weight of the media and constant contact with water required robust and safe guidance; the customer also required a guarantee for at least 1.5 million cycles
• Industry: Agriculture
• Success for the customer: Laboratory data assures the customer that the e-chain® is available for at least 2 million cycles; all media are guided flawlessly in the application at high speeds and accelerations as well as in challenging environmental conditions over a long period of time

If vegetables are not grown in the soil, but in rock wool or coconut fibers, they are referred to as "organic vegetables". They are then supplied with a precisely dosed amount of nutrient solution. This has advantages such as independence from the weather, climate and soil. The start-up CombaGroup, founded in 2011, focuses on the use of a globally unique aeroponic system, a form of hors-sol method in which the seeds grow in the air rather than in the soil.

In Switzerland, the company operates a 600 square meter pilot greenhouse for this purpose, which has a yield around 10 to 15 times higher than outdoor cultivation. The mobility of the Aeroponic is unique: a spraying robot is used, which sprays the necessary amount of water and nutrients directly onto the roots. In addition, the roots are constantly moved by the robot so that the lettuce heads have enough space to grow.
As technology has progressed, however, the requirements in terms of stability, weight and media feed-through to the energy supply to the spraying robot have increased. The floor in a greenhouse is uneven, and the chain with the media is constantly in the water. With cables sometimes over 50 meters long, weight also plays a decisive role. The customer wanted a pre-assembled chain including all media feed-throughs and a guarantee of 1.5 million cycles.

Today, our e-chains are used so that the robots can supply the plants with nutrients and water. The first order was received by telephone via an e-chain® of 24 meters. energy chains are like the umbilical cord of modern machines. They ensure the supply of energy, data and impulses and are constantly in motion. After technical advice from us and several phone calls, the customer received an e-chain E2/000 with a trough made of steel - preconfigured as a readychain® system.

In the pilot greenhouse, we guaranteed the customer 2 million cycles and a 36-month warranty on all chainflex® cables. This guarantee is based on the detailed data we receive from our own test laboratory. Over 2 billion test strokes per year are carried out with e-chain® and chainflex® cable at a total of 58 test stations. This is the only way to ensure that the e-chains used function perfectly over a long period of time, despite many cycles, high speeds and accelerations as well as challenging environmental conditions.
In the meantime, the first greenhouse for commercial cultivation has already been opened in France. Our e-chain is also being used here. Specifically, three spraying robots with travel distances of one 54 meters and two 25 meters are used here.