Feature: igus e-chains pass rigorous tests for dry cleanroom use

Launched two years ago, the E6.29 was the first certified igus energy chain for use in dry cleanrooms. To offer customers a long-term guarantee, the motion plastics specialist commissioned the world-renowned research institute Fraunhofer IPA to conduct tests and investigate the aging behaviour of its e-chains in dry cleanrooms – with positive results. Now, igus and the IPA have developed certificates that confirm that the E6, e-skin flat, e-skin soft and easy chain E14 energy chains are suitable for dry cleanrooms, passing long-term tests.

High purity is essential in semiconductor and battery manufacturing plants. Since these technologies are being developed to deliver more and more power in the smallest possible size, they are becoming increasingly sensitive. As a result, the demands on these components’ production environments, which combine dry and clean rooms, are also increasing.

The cable chains E6, e-skin flat, e-skin soft and easy chain E14 prove their suitability for dry cleanrooms in long-term tests conducted by the Fraunhofer IPA research institute / Picture: igus

However, not all machine components can withstand these demanding environmental conditions. “In dry cleanrooms, many systems have a short service life and have to be replaced after just two to three months,” explains Justin Leonard, e-chains director at igus in Northampton. “Particle emissions in particular can increase due to the dry atmosphere, as materials that are not designed for these conditions become brittle.” For this reason, igus has tested the range of cleanroom-compatible energy chains, such as the e-skin soft, e-skin flat and E6 in this dry environment. “Together with Fraunhofer IPA, we have now developed two certificates that verify the durability and purity of these e-chains in a dry environment with a relative humidity of less than one percent,” says Leonard.

The two new certificates are divided into “Pre-aging” and “Aging behaviour”. For the “Aging behaviour” certificate, two energy supply systems, E6.J and the e-skin flat system were tested in the Fraunhofer IPA drying room over a ten month period, where they completed over 15 million double strokes. Every two months, the systems were examined for their ISO class and were certified. The e-skin flat survived the double strokes without any problems and received the best possible ISO Class 4 certification. The E6.J was also able to maintain this result for over four months, and achieved ISO Class 5, an excellent result for battery production.

The “Pre-aging” certificate commissioned for the e-skin soft and easy chain E14 energy supply systems certified the systems after 15 million double strokes and ten months in the drying room. Due to these long-term studies and Fraunhofer IPA certifications, igus was able to confirm that the energy supply systems have very low particle emissions and are therefore safe for automation in dry cleanrooms.