Irrigation: flexible and space-saving

• What was needed: plastic-energy chain
• Requirements: The height-adjustable spraying system requires a particularly flexible cable routing. It must also be possible to install this in particularly confined spaces.
• Industry: Agriculture
• Success for the customer: The plastic-energy chain allows maximum flexibility in the application and safely routes all required power cables and hoses. The system works in the tightest of spaces.

Rutec Engineering bv develops and builds machines and production lines for a wide range of industries. In the greenhouse sector, a system for spraying flowers was developed. The so-called spray trees are attached to the heating pipes that hang above the flowers. The installation can move back and forth, whereby the spray nozzles must also be able to move in height in order to achieve optimum spraying results. A reliable cable routing had to be found for the lifting system of the entire technology. It was important that the solution could flexibly accommodate the height adjustment and be installed in particularly confined spaces between the flowers and heating pipes.

The solution from Rutec Engineering includes two cable connections that serve as extendable and retractable telescopic elements. They are retracted with a winch and pull the structure with the spray nozzles upwards. In the same way, the system is lowered by rolling out the winch. The advantage of this mechanism is that no additional height is required above the spray boom. The arms simply 'bend' from vertical to horizontal. This design is made possible in part by the particularly flexible plastic-energy chains. They reliably follow the lifting movements and safely guide all power cables and hoses. They also ensure cable routing in particularly confined installation spaces.