Cleanroom Energy Cable Guide With Internal Particle-Retaining Material

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Solution Overview

Problem

Cable routing devices in clean room applications release particles during operation, leading to contamination and requiring complex cleaning measures or extended downtimes when maintained.

Innovation Solution

Incorporating functional materials within the casing that capture or prevent the release of particles, such as fiber structures with electrostatic effects, pressure-sensitive adhesives, or friction-reducing tribopolymers, to minimize particle escape and facilitate maintenance.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of repair

If cable management devices are opened for maintenance to replace defective cables, then cable replacement is enabled, but particles released during operation enter the cleanroom environment causing contamination

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecable replacement capabilityVSAvoidparticle contamination
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of repairVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

A particle-retaining insert is introduced as an intermediary element between the cables and the external environment. This insert captures particles released during cable operation and prevents them from escaping into the cleanroom when the device is opened for maintenance, thus enabling cable replacement without causing contamination

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The particle-retaining insert is pre-installed in the cable management device to counteract the harmful effect of particle release before maintenance is needed. This preliminary protective measure ensures that when cables need replacement, particles are already captured and cannot contaminate the cleanroom environment

Inventive Principle:
Principle #9Preliminary anti-action

2Object-generated harmful factors

If functional material is added to capture particles, then particle release is reduced, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveparticle releaseVSAvoidstructural complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-generated harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The particle-retaining insert is designed as a flexible, thin-walled structure that can be easily integrated into the existing cable management device. This thin-film approach captures particles effectively while adding minimal structural complexity and maintaining the device's原有 functionality

Inventive Principle:
Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

Solution Approach 2:

The insert combines a base material structure with a functional particle-retaining material layer, creating a composite structure that achieves particle capture functionality without significantly increasing overall device complexity. The composite design integrates multiple functions into a single component

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

Significantly reduces the number and size of particles released into the environment, ensuring a dust-tight seal and minimizing contamination during operation and maintenance, thereby reducing cleaning needs and downtimes.

Implementation Method 1

fiber structures with electrostatic effects

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElectrostatic attraction: Electrostatics

Implementation Method 2

pressure-sensitive adhesives

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectAdhesion: Adhesive

Data Source

PatentEP3976993B1Energy cable guide for clean room application
Publication Date: 2024.02.28 IGUS SE & CO KG DE
  • EP3976993B1 patent drawingFigure 1~3
  • EP3976993B1 patent drawingFigure 4~5B

AI summary

The invention relates to a conduit device for lines (10) in a cleanroom application, comprising an elongate, flexible casing (11), which can be moved back and forth, in particular while forming a deflection bend between two runs, between a first connection point and second connection point, which is movable relative to the first connection point. The casing (11) has at least one releasable and reclosable connection region (14A, 14B) for the insertion or removal of a line (10) while the connection region is open. When closed, the casing surrounds, in a dust-tight manner, an interior (15) for holding one or more lines. According to the invention, a functional material (101) is provided within the casing (11) in order to reduce the number of free particles in the interior (15). The functional material can, in particular, retain particles released in the interior as a result of operation and/or counteract the operation-related release of particles in the interior.