Energy chains, cables and bearing technology for microelectronics

One particle, invisible to the eye, can destroy microelectronics and reduce overall equipment effectiveness (OEE). Accordingly, manufacturers are endeavouring to keep the air in production rooms clean. igus can help - with cleanroom-compatible energy supply systems and cables made of abrasion-resistant high-performance plastics. Our solutions are also ESD-compatible, cost-effective and can be expanded at any time thanks to their modular design. They are used in machines and systems for pick & place tasks as well as camera- and sensor-supported quality control and packaging, among other things.

Areas of use

A microscope processes a semiconductor wafer in a cleanroom setup.

Semiconductor industry

The gripper head positions glass panes in the production process.

Display industry

Battery cells on a production line for electric car packs inside the factory.

Battery production

Selected products for microelectronics

e-skin flat system with individual pods for cable guidance.

Flat cable guiding system

Cleanroom-compatible according to IPA ISO Class 1
Modular, compact design
Cables can be replaced in minutes
Available with customised CFCLEAN stranding structure for high reliability as an option

e-skin flat

Two-part corrugated tubes

Cleanroom-compatible according to IPA ISO Class 1
Two parts, consisting of upper and lower shell
Quick assembly thanks to "zip" function
For fast, short unsupported applications

e-skin corrugated tubes

igus energy chain system for guiding cables and hoses.

e-chain for high dynamics

Cleanroom-compatible according to IPA ISO Class 1
Optimised design without measurable abrasion
Particularly quiet operation
Side parts made of the material ESD, preventing static charging

e-chain C6

CHAINFLEX CLEAN cables with removed background, four variants and one with an air channel.

Cables in cleanrooms

With highly abrasion-resistant jacket materials
Guaranteed service life of 20 million strokes with a radius of 70mm
The combination of CFCLEAN and e-skin flat is certified according to Cleanroom Class 1

Cleanroom cables

Dry-running linear guides

No lubrication or maintenance
Certified for use in cleanrooms according to ISO Classes 6 to 3
Particularly quiet running

drylin linear guides

Round igus component with holes for a bearing or rotary connection.

Slewing ring bearing for minimum particle emissions

Ready-to-install slewing ring bearing for lubrication-free dry operation
Maintenance-free sliding elements with low particle emissions
Ring made of lightweight anodised aluminium

PRT-04 slewing ring bearings

Ball bearing with white plastic rings and steel balls, cut out.

Lubrication-free and maintenance-free ball bearings

Ball bearings made from high-performance plastics for low-friction dry operation
Around 50% more cost-effective and lighter than conventional stainless-steel ball bearings

xiros ball bearings

Plastic barstock in various colors and shapes stacked together.

Bar stock for customised components

Made specially designed for the movement with iglidur materials
Self-lubricating, very low coefficients of friction and extreme wear resistance
Also 3D printing with no minimum order quantity possible

Bar stock

Comparison of e-skin flat and CFLEAN with two cable carriers and curved guide paths.

Fully harnessed cables

Cables supplied with connectors and fully harnessed
Save assembly time and costs
Long and predictable service life thanks to extensive tests and quality checks

readycable

Successfully in use

Dissipative ESD energy chains and lubrication-free bearings in the testing of printed circuit boards

Flying probe testers, for example, are used to check printed circuit boards for fault-free function. Needles touch and measure the electronic components such as circuit boards under accelerations of up to 15g. To ensure that the test heads are reliably supplied with energy and data, dissipative ESD energy chains are used in SPEA's flying probe tester. drylin linear bearings also allow completely lubrication-free and maintenance-free format adjustment without risking contamination of the electronic components.

Find out more about this application

The cable chain guides cables in a SPEA Flying Probe tester.

Durable energy supply systems for positioning systems in electronics production

Jenaer Antriebstechnik GmbH relies on our fully harnessed readychain systems for its exposure and laser scribing systems. Energy chains from the cleanroom-compatible E6 and E3 product range, including strain relief, connectors, guide troughs and mounting plates, are used to safely guide the drive, measuring system and compressed air cables as well as other media in the positioning unit.

Find out more about this application

igus automation system with cable carriers and metal assemblies in a technical installation.

Adhesive dispenser for camera modules

Mingseal's main product is an adhesive dispenser for camera modules. Due to the high requirements for particle-free operation, welded energy supplies were initially used here, which made rapid cable replacement impossible, but at the same time led to increased wear on the cable. Today, the manufacturer relies on the e-skin energy chain, which is suitable for cleanrooms in accordance with ISO Class 1. Consisting of an upper and lower shell, the corrugated tube for cleanrooms is quick and easy to open, compact and quick to install.

Find out more about this application

IPTE PCB assembler with e-chains and chainflex cables in a microelectronics system.

Special cables and energy chains for SMD placement machines

For a new series of its pick-and-place machines, Assembléon was looking for cables that could withstand at least 400 million strokes during the many extremely fast lifting movements. Thanks to our chainflex cables in combination with energy chains, the customer now benefits from minimal wear and maximum reliability.

Find out more about this application

Pick-and-place machine for PCB assembly with multiple feeders and control panels.

Consistently reliable PCB assembly with chainflex and e-chains

The "Speedmounter" from IPTE can pick up to twelve different components simultaneously with one turret head and use them to assemble the PCB. In the past, however, there were often restrictions in the availability of the systems due to wiring problems. Our highly flexible chainflex control and servo cables and various energy chains have solved this problem.

Find out more about this application

Smooth movement in the sensor test rig

Hoffmann + Krippner manufactures highly specialised input systems, printed electronic components and components for the Internet of Things. The products undergo in-house quality testing to ensure that customers in their diverse industries always receive the best quality. This is carried out automatically in a test cell in which our driven drylin linear axes and energy chains ensure reliable movement.

Find out more about this application

Microelectronics test stand with sensor test head, drylin ZLW and igus e-chain.

Linear system with air bearings for high-precision adjustments

An e-skin flat SKF12.4.03.01.1 as a 4-fold layer together with PVC & TPE cables from igus ensures the reliable energy supply of a linear system with air bearings.

Find out more about this application

e-skin flat guides cables in an automated system.

Energy supply systems in semiconductor production

Clean air is needed in the production of the Fixload. This is due to the very sensitive area of application of the load interface for 300mm wafer processing devices in semiconductor manufacturing. As the wafers to be processed are unprotected and exposed to their surroundings during loading, the technical equipment must not generate any particles.
This is why an abrasion-resistant energy supply is used here, which can be used in ISO Class 3 cleanrooms (in accordance with DIN EN ISO 146441-1).

Cleanroom test device with a transparent orange protective housing on a stand.

Wafer handling

With the E6 e-chain, the supply of energy for wafer handling in chip production involving acceleration rates of up to 4m/s2 and speeds of up to 6m/s is not a problem.