Predictika · Motion plastics

An AI sales agent's e-chain configuration, checked before it goes out

An AI sales agent prepares an energy chain configuration for a machine builder: an E4.32 or H4.32 e-chain or a fully enclosed R4.32 e-tube, with its inner width, bending radius, length of travel, options, clearance height and lead time, and the number of links it states. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of the rules in the igus catalog pages for Series E4.32 and returns a verdict, every reason and the figures it computed.

Scope: igus E4.32, H4.32 and R4.32 e-chains and e-tubes: published widths and radii, chain length from the travel, unsupported and gliding limits, options and their combinations, and catalog lead times. See everything this validator covers

This validator models one e-chain configuration at a time, based on the igus catalog pages for the E4.1 system, Series E4.32 (pages 7.42 to 7.59), not just the scenarios shown below.

  • Published widths and radii — E4.32 and H4.32 are offered in 32 inner widths from 50 to 400 mm and ten bending radii from 63 to 300 mm; the fully enclosed R4.32 e-tube has ten widths and seven radii (125 to 300 mm). The cable must fit the 32 mm inner height and the fill weight must stay within 15 kg per metre.
  • Chain length and clearance — the catalog formula (half the length of travel plus an allowance that depends on the radius, at a 56 mm pitch) gives the chain length, and the quoted number of links must be the smallest whole number that reaches it; an unsupported application needs a clearance height of H plus 40 mm.
  • Application limits — unsupported travel up to twice the 3.25 m unsupported length (and under 10 m), gliding applications in a guide trough up to 200 m, with a person involved over 100 m, under 10 m, or when XXL material extends the unsupported length.
  • Options and combinations — QuickLock crossbars (from 100 mm width, e-chains only), low noise pads, NC, RBR, XXL, HT (e-tubes only) and ESD material, the combinations the catalog table does not allow, full-width shelf widths, and the catalog recommendation for crossbars on every link under demanding conditions.
  • Lead time — the longest catalog delivery time among the options chosen, compared with when the customer needs the chain.

Any E4.32, H4.32 or R4.32 configuration that touches these rules is in scope — not only the scenarios pictured here. Not covered: prices (the catalog pages list none, so this page shows no price build-up), other igus series, mounting brackets, guide troughs and strain relief, cable selection, the unsupported length diagram against fill weight (read from a chart in the catalog), and the service life of the chain.

The AI sales agentBuilds the configuration from the conversation and says it is ready.
Predictika validatorChecks every rule at once and returns the verdict, each finding, and the computed figures.

7 scenarios in 3 groups · each group runs from the agent’s first attempt to the outcome · click one to switch

What the agent proposes

The AI sales agent says

Illustrative agent statement. The validator receives the structured request below.

Proposing agent: AI sales agent (scripted)

Before sending, the agent must call Recorded run

Predictika validator


      

        
        
        
      

      
Waiting for the call.

      
    

  

  
  

    
Where rules-based CPQ gets it wrong
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Our assessment of what a typical rules-based CPQ (product rules, price rules and validation rules, as in Salesforce CPQ) does with the same cases. It is a judgment about effort and reliability, not a claim that nothing can be built.

    
What the validator caughtTypical rules-based CPQPredictika
Widths and radii that depend on the seriesOnly with workarounds
E4.32, H4.32 and the R4.32 e-tube have different width and radius lists, and some options exist only for some widths. A rules-based CPQ needs a table or a rule per series, and every catalog edition means editing them.		The series, width and radius arrive in one request and are matched to the published lists on every call.
Chain length from the travel and radiusOnly with care
The length depends on half the travel plus an allowance per radius, and the link count must be the smallest whole number that reaches it, which a rule has to recompute and compare with the stated figure.		The needed length and the stated links are both computed and compared on every call.
Option combinations the catalog table forbidsOnly with workarounds
Seven options give many pairs, some allowed and some not, and each option also depends on the series and width.		Each forbidden pair is checked together with the series and width, in any order the choices arrive.
Limits that depend on the applicationOnly with care
Unsupported travel, gliding travel, the guide trough and the approval thresholds are different checks that depend on the application type chosen earlier.		The application, travel, trough and options are compared together on every call.
Every problem returned in one answerOnly with workarounds
Rules tend to fire as the configuration is saved or a step is completed, so a person often fixes one error and meets the next.		All findings come back together, whatever order the choices arrived in.

  

  

    
What this validator catches: findings from its test cases
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Every rule is checked on every call, in any order the choices arrive; one problem never hides another. Blocking findings stop the quote; approval findings need a person to sign off; everything else is computed.

    
1The quote has 0 chains; at least 1 is needed.
2An inner width of 90 mm is not offered in the standard range of this series (E4.32 and H4.32 offer 50 to 400 mm in 32 widths; the R4.32 e-tube offers 50, 75, 100, 108, 125, 150, 168, 200, 250 and 300 mm).
3An inner width of 68 mm is not offered in the standard range of this series (E4.32 and H4.32 offer 50 to 400 mm in 32 widths; the R4.32 e-tube offers 50, 75, 100, 108, 125, 150, 168, 200, 250 and 300 mm).
4A bending radius of 80 mm is not offered for this series (E4.32 and H4.32: 63, 75, 100, 125, 150, 175, 200, 220, 250, 300 mm; R4.32 e-tube: 125 to 300 mm, not 63, 75 or 100).
5A bending radius of 100 mm is not offered for this series (E4.32 and H4.32: 63, 75, 100, 125, 150, 175, 200, 220, 250, 300 mm; R4.32 e-tube: 125 to 300 mm, not 63, 75 or 100).
6The cable is 33 mm thick; the inner height of Series E4.32 is 32 mm.
7The fill weight is 151 tenths of a kg per metre; Series E4.32 is specified for fill weights up to 15 kg/m (150 tenths).
8An unsupported application with 6502 mm of travel needs unsupported lengths above the 3.25 m the series reaches (travel is twice the unsupported length); use a gliding application, or the XXL material for +25 percent.
910,002 mm of travel is more than 10 m; the catalog describes travels from 10 m as gliding applications in a guide trough.
10XXL material allows 25 percent longer unsupported lengths, but the catalog gives no table for it; a person should confirm 10,002 mm of travel with igus.
11XXL material allows 25 percent longer unsupported lengths, but the catalog gives no table for it; a person should confirm 8000 mm of travel with igus.
12In a gliding application the upper run is introduced in a guide trough on the lower run; the quote has no guide trough.
13200,002 mm of travel is more than the 200 m maximum for gliding applications of this series.
14For travels over 100 m the catalog recommends that igus technicians engineer the plant; the quote has 200,000 mm of travel.
15For travels over 100 m the catalog recommends that igus technicians engineer the plant; the quote has 120,000 mm of travel.
16The catalog describes gliding applications for travels from 10 m; a person should confirm gliding for 9998 mm of travel.
17An unsupported application needs a clearance height of 394 mm at this radius (H plus 40 mm, for a fill weight of 2.0 kg/m or less); the installation has 393 mm.
18The quote states 37 links, which is 2072 mm at the 56 mm pitch; the catalog formula (half the travel plus the radius allowance) needs a chain of 2085 mm, so the link count must be the smallest whole number of links that reaches it.
19The quote states 39 links, which is 2184 mm at the 56 mm pitch; the catalog formula (half the travel plus the radius allowance) needs a chain of 2085 mm, so the link count must be the smallest whole number of links that reaches it.
20QuickLock crossbars are possible from an inner width of 100 mm; the quote has 87 mm.
21The catalog lists QuickLock crossbars for e-chains E4.32 and H4.32 only, not for the fully enclosed R4.32 e-tube.
22The noise dampening and NC options are not listed for the R4.32 e-tube with an inner width of 150 mm.
23HT material (protection against hot chips up to 850 degrees Celsius) is available only for the fully enclosed R4.32 e-tube.
24For HT material in gliding applications the catalog says to consult igus.
25The catalog combination table does not allow the low noise option together with the reverse bending radius (RBR) version.
26The catalog combination table does not allow the NC version together with the reverse bending radius (RBR) version.
27The catalog combination table does not allow the NC version together with XXL material.
28The catalog combination table does not allow the reverse bending radius (RBR) version together with XXL material.
29The catalog combination table does not allow XXL material together with HT material.
30The catalog combination table does not allow XXL material together with ESD material.

  

  

    
Scenarios and results
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The recorded result of the validator for each scenario on this page: the request the AI agent sent, the verdict, and every finding, in the order they appear above.

    
1. E-tube options, radius and lead time: R4.32 e-tube with radius 100, QuickLock and low noise at 150 mm

    
The agent's request. Please quote one R4.32 fully enclosed e-tube, 150 mm inner width, bending radius 100 mm, for an unsupported application with 4,000 mm of travel (half travel 2,000 mm). The cable is 20 mm thick, the fill weight is 2.0 kg per metre and the installation has 500 mm of clearance height. The chain should be black with low noise pads, QuickLock crossbars, needed in 10 working days. The quote states 44 links. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Bending radius not offered. A bending radius of 100 mm is not offered for this series (E4.32 and H4.32: 63, 75, 100, 125, 150, 175, 200, 220, 250, 300 mm; R4.32 e-tube: 125 to 300 mm, not 63, 75 or 100).
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  • QuickLock only on e-chains. The catalog lists QuickLock crossbars for e-chains E4.32 and H4.32 only, not for the fully enclosed R4.32 e-tube.
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  • Option not listed for this e-tube width. The noise dampening and NC options are not listed for the R4.32 e-tube with an inner width of 150 mm.
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2. E-tube options, radius and lead time: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote one R4.32 fully enclosed e-tube, 168 mm inner width, bending radius 150 mm, for an unsupported application with 4,000 mm of travel (half travel 2,000 mm). The cable is 20 mm thick, the fill weight is 2.0 kg per metre and the installation has 500 mm of clearance height. The chain should be a colour other than black with low noise pads, needed in 10 working days. The quote states 47 links. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Needs approval.

    
    
      
  • Lead time longer than needed. The selected options ship in up to 15 working days (catalog delivery times); the customer needs the chain in 10.
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  • Chain summary. Bending radius 150 mm gives a nominal clearance height H of 354 mm; the chain needs a length of 2585 mm (half the travel plus 585 mm for the radius), at the 56 mm pitch.
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3. E-tube options, radius and lead time: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote one R4.32 fully enclosed e-tube, 168 mm inner width, bending radius 150 mm, for an unsupported application with 4,000 mm of travel (half travel 2,000 mm). The cable is 20 mm thick, the fill weight is 2.0 kg per metre and the installation has 500 mm of clearance height. The chain should be black with low noise pads, needed in 10 working days. The quote states 47 links. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Chain summary. Bending radius 150 mm gives a nominal clearance height H of 354 mm; the chain needs a length of 2585 mm (half the travel plus 585 mm for the radius), at the 56 mm pitch.
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4. Travel and application type: Unsupported E4.32 e-chain with 7 m of travel

    
The agent's request. Please quote one E4.32 e-chain (crossbars on every link), 200 mm inner width, bending radius 150 mm, for an unsupported application with 7,000 mm of travel (half travel 3,500 mm). The cable is 20 mm thick, the fill weight is 2.0 kg per metre and the installation has 400 mm of clearance height. The chain should be black with no options, needed in 10 working days. The quote states 73 links. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Unsupported travel too long. An unsupported application with 7000 mm of travel needs unsupported lengths above the 3.25 m the series reaches (travel is twice the unsupported length); use a gliding application, or the XXL material for +25 percent.
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5. Travel and application type: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote one E4.32 e-chain (crossbars on every link), 200 mm inner width, bending radius 150 mm, for an unsupported application with 6,000 mm of travel (half travel 3,000 mm). The cable is 20 mm thick, the fill weight is 2.0 kg per metre and the installation has 400 mm of clearance height. The chain should be black with no options, needed in 10 working days. The quote states 65 links. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Chain summary. Bending radius 150 mm gives a nominal clearance height H of 354 mm; the chain needs a length of 3585 mm (half the travel plus 585 mm for the radius), at the 56 mm pitch.
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6. Clearance height and link count: H4.32 with a short clearance height and a wrong link count

    
The agent's request. Please quote one H4.32 e-chain (crossbars on every 2nd link), 300 mm inner width, bending radius 250 mm, for an unsupported application with 5,000 mm of travel (half travel 2,500 mm). The cable is 20 mm thick, the fill weight is 2.0 kg per metre and the installation has 500 mm of clearance height. The chain should be black with no options, needed in 10 working days. The quote states 45 links. Lateral acceleration is 0.6 m/s2. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Clearance height too low. An unsupported application needs a clearance height of 594 mm at this radius (H plus 40 mm, for a fill weight of 2.0 kg/m or less); the installation has 500 mm.
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  • Stated links do not match the chain length. The quote states 45 links, which is 2520 mm at the 56 mm pitch; the catalog formula (half the travel plus the radius allowance) needs a chain of 3400 mm, so the link count must be the smallest whole number of links that reaches it.
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  • Crossbar every 2nd link under demanding conditions. The catalog recommends crossbars on every link (E4.32) for lateral acceleration above 0.5 m/s2, humidity above 85 percent or temperatures above 50 degrees Celsius; a person should confirm the H4.32 choice.
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7. Clearance height and link count: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote one E4.32 e-chain (crossbars on every link), 300 mm inner width, bending radius 250 mm, for an unsupported application with 5,000 mm of travel (half travel 2,500 mm). The cable is 20 mm thick, the fill weight is 2.0 kg per metre and the installation has 600 mm of clearance height. The chain should be black with no options, needed in 10 working days. The quote states 61 links. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Chain summary. Bending radius 250 mm gives a nominal clearance height H of 554 mm; the chain needs a length of 3400 mm (half the travel plus 900 mm for the radius), at the 56 mm pitch.
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Narration transcript
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The text of the narrated walkthrough, step by step.

    
    
      
  1. Welcome to a demo of Predictika's Validator. An AI sales agent prepares an energy chain configuration for a machine builder: an E4.32 or H4.32 e-chain or a fully enclosed R4.32 e-tube. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of the rules in the igus catalog pages for Series E4.32 and returns a verdict, every reason and the figures it computed.
    2. 
      
  2. I will start with the first request by the agent.
    3. 
      
  3. The agent says. Please quote one R4.32 fully enclosed e-tube, 150 mm inner width, bending radius 100 mm, for an unsupported application with 4,000 mm of travel (half travel 2,000 mm). The cable is 20 mm thick, the fill weight is 2.0 kg per metre and the installation has 500 mm of clearance height. The rest of the request is on screen.
    4. 
      
  4. Before it goes out, the agent calls the validator.
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  5. Blocked, with three findings, all in one answer. A bending radius of 100 mm is not offered for this series (E4.32 and H4.32: 63, 75, 100, 125, 150, 175, 200, 220, 250, 300 mm; R4.32 e-tube: 125 to 300 mm, not 63, 75 or 100). The catalog lists QuickLock crossbars for e-chains E4.32 and H4.32 only, not for the fully enclosed R4.32 e-tube. The noise dampening and NC options are not listed for the R4.32 e-tube with an inner width of 150 mm.
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  6. The validator returned three blocking findings in one answer. A check that reads one field at a time would pass most of this; it shows only when the choices in the quote are checked against each other.
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  7. What this shows: for chain length from the travel and radius, a rules-based CPQ is error-prone for this.
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  8. Now the agent resubmits.
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  9. The corrected request. It changes the inner width to 168 mm, the bending radius to 150 mm, the colour to other, the options to low noise pads and the stated links as to 47.
    10. 
      
  10. It calls the validator again.
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  11. Not blocked, but held for a person.
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  12. The three blocking findings are cleared; one approval remains for a person: lead time longer than needed.
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  13. The agent resubmits once more.
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  14. The revised request. It changes the colour to black.
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  15. It calls the validator once more.
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  16. This time the validator clears it.
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  17. The earlier finding is cleared.
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  18. Three problems caught in one call, fixed in two passes, and a clean quote. That is the value of Predictika's validator: catching mistakes before they reach the customer.
    19.