eepos base at Flexa
The Clean Solution for Power and Material SupplyFlexa GmbH produces high-quality protective hoses in its new production hall in Hanau. The eepos media columns serve as the central hub for supplying the injection molding machines with all necessary energy and materials, and also allow for flexibly future conversions or retrofits.
The key to the success of Flexa cable protection systems is the product variety: depending on the area of application, Flexa hoses can be manufactured in various versions, such as solvent-resistant, liquid-tight, UV-resistant, or silicone-coated. Even a temperature range from –60 to +300°C or protection up to IP69K is no problem for Flexa’s cable protection systems. As the demand for cable protection systems in mechanical engineering, automotive technology, rail vehicle manufacturing, wind power, and medical technology continues to grow, the company management decided to expand the existing machinery and construct a new production hall on the premises of the company headquarters.
A New Hall – Built on 70 Years of Experience
The challenge for the new production facility was to manufacture the wide range of products on the machines as flexibly as possible while increasing output. At the same time, it needed to allow for quickly testing and production of the latest Flexa developments. Despite this flexibility, the highest possible standards of order, cleanliness, and clarity had to be maintained. Thanks to the extensive experience in manufacturing cable protection systems, the basic framework for the production environment, such as machine setup and overall material flow, was quickly defined. Material and energy supply would be routed via a second level above the machines, designed to be both cost-effective and easy to expand. When Technical Manager Mr. Sieke discovered the eepos media column base M, everyone at Flexa was enthusiastic. It was immediately clear that the media columns would provide a stable, centralized, and straightforward solution for handling material handovers at each machine.
Martin Sieke
Technical Manager,
Flexa GmbH & Co. Production and Sales KG
"The media columns keep everything tidy and well-structured. They take up very little space and look good too."
Media Column eepos base M impresses with its flexibility
The media columns from eepos GmbH are designed as a modular system and are available in 3 sizes: S, M and L. Each column is securely anchored to the floor with a stable base plate. The top of a base column can either be closed with a cover plate or left open. A wide selection of media inserts and covers can be viewed on the eepos online platform "eeworld" and ordered as standard components, maximum flexibility for a variety of applications. For the M and L base sizes, the eepos carbon slewing crane can also be installed or retrofitted on one or both sides.
Base M Version as 4 m and 6 m High Column
At Flexa, it was decided to supply energy, such as compressed air and electricity, from above into the base M media column, while also routing communication with the sensors and actuators through the aluminum column. Material hoses with larger diameters were to be attached to the external Item® grooves. Because the heights for each machine were dictated by the existing crane system, there was a request to complete the construction of the media columns before the final floor was installed. For Mr. Sieke, the base M media columns from eepos arrived at exactly the right time: "When the decision was made to go with eepos, the speed of the final design, delivery, and installation aligned perfectly with our schedule. We chose heights of 4 m and 6 m and immediately ordered the first columns. The support and assistance from eepos were both quick and excellent. Our employees here at Flexa immediately recognized and began using the full potential of the base M media column."
Media Column in Self-Assembly Kit
Mr. Sieke then has concrete example on hand: "It's great that eepos provided us with the front and back cover plates unprocessed. This allowed us to optimally determine the individual positions and heights of the connections and outlets in the hall through discussions with the production and service teams. What made me particularly happy was that this immediately led to strong acceptance across the departments. The collaborative approach sparked an interactive process, resulting in the best possible design, and everyone supports it!" In addition, the electricians were involved in the decision-making process from a very early stage. Mr. Sieke: "The electricians chose to use the internal Item® grooves for the cable holders. This eliminated the need for a separate cable duct down to the machines while keeping the cables protected. The individually screwed, front-removable media inserts also make it easy for the electricians to change or retrofit cables and protective hoses."
Exploring New Areas of Application
In the hall, the plastic injection molding machines are arranged in rows, with the eepos media columns alongside them ensuring the desired clarity. Mr. Sieke: "The media columns keep everything tidy and well-structured. They take up very little space and look good too." At the end of the tour, Mr Sieke summarizes his experiences: "We don't show our new hall to every supplier, but we truly enjoyed working with eepos. The speed and flexibility of their team and products convinced us, and we can wholeheartedly recommend the eepos media columns. It is also noteworthy that the eepos base media column is repeatedly suggested for a wide variety of solutions. This reassures us that it was exactly the right choice. We are even exploring for new areas of application for the media column."
Our Products
The media column for energy, signals and your own solutions.
Easy and quick installation on walls and columns - for loads up to 500 kg.
