Plastic e-chains move heavy cables safely and reliably over long distances
The start-up company Combagroup specialises in hors-sol cultivation of lettuce. Thanks to automated solutions and the use of energy chains from igus, the company achieves a yield that is 10 to 15 times higher than outdoor cultivation.
The Problem
When vegetables are not grown in soil but in rock wool or coconut fibres, they are referred to as ‘hors-sol vegetables’. They are supplied with a precisely measured amount of nutrient solution. This has advantages such as independence from weather, climate and soil. Founded in 2011, the start-up CombaGroup achieves a yield in its 600 square metre pilot greenhouse in Switzerland that is around 10 to 15 times higher than outdoor cultivation.
The aero-ponic system is unique in its mobility: a spray robot is used to spray the necessary amount of water and nutrients directly onto the roots and arrange them so that the lettuce heads have enough space to grow.
As technology advances, the requirements in terms of stability, weight and media feed-through for the energy supply to the spray robot are increasing. The chain with all media is permanently submerged in water, on uneven ground, and with lines over 50 metres 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.
The Solution
Our energy chains are now used to supply the robots with nutrients and water for the plants. Energy chains are like the umbilical cord of modern machines. They supply energy, data and impulses and are constantly in motion. After a technical consultation, the customer received a power chain with a steel trough – pre-assembled as a readychain® system.
Thanks to our test laboratory, where over 2 billion test strokes per year are carried out with e-chains and chainflex cables, we were able to offer guarantees of over 2 million cycles and 36 months on all chainflex cables.In the meantime, the first greenhouse for commercial cultivation has already been opened in France. Here, three spray robots with energy chains from igus are used with travel distances between 25 and 50 metres. For more information www.igus.de
