A subsidiary company of the Vossloh Laeis in Trier upon Mosel manufactures made-to-measure streetcar switches. Besides sawing and drilling facilities, milling benches and a CNC-controlled portal milling machine figure among this, which has been in use since 2002. It relies on an enclosed system, an energy tube, to protect the cable from the shower of hot chips. Due to the extreme on-site conditions, the old energy supply system was normally worn out after a maximum of nine months. The old energy tube was replaced by a high temperature energy tube from igus®. The company introduced a new material ′igumid HT′ at the beginning of 2006, which repels hot chips even at 850° C without leaving a trace on the energy supply system. All E2 energy tubes and all E4 energy tubes that can be snap-open along both sides from the igus® standard product range are available from now on in the new high temperature material.

In a chain length of 61 links, a travel distance of up to 9 m and a table speed of maximum 10 m/min, the E4 system is used with normal pivoting mounting brackets due to its large unsupported length. It is supplemented by the integrated strain relief. Interior separations and tiewrap plates neatly guide the cables. All mentioned components positively affect the stability and durability of the whole energy supply system. The enclosed energy tube allows quick and easy mounting by the simple snap open of the tube lid with a screwdriver. As the cables remain accessible any time after the insertion in the tube, the maintenance time and machine downtimes are reduced to the minimum. The enclosed system plays off its advantage here, as it safely protects the cables from dirt, humidity or heat. Due to the design details, not only the original equipping, but above all the retrofitting take place quickly.