chainflex® works - guaranteed and certified!

When igus launched the plastic energy chain on the market, many customers were excited about this innovation in the field of energy supply systems, previous solutions had brought some difficulties with them. However, with the introduction of the energy chain came challenges, namely that many cables could not accommodate this new degree of movement. And so, igus was faced with customer statements like the following:
"We didn't have these cable problems before we used plastic energy chains!"
igus had to act. igus needed a cable solution that worked and would last!
The idea was to design cables for permanent use in our plastic energy chains. igus, as a plastics processing company, now had to go into unfamiliar territory.
Once the idea had been conceived, we spent many months planning and designing an optimal setup, producing prototypes and conducting extensive testing. This way we ensured the longest possible service life for our cables, satisfying our customers needs.
As a result, igus introduced the first control cable series CF1 and CF2 in 1988.

Each cable is subjected to the standard tests immediately after manufacture. To this day, none of the worldwide cable standards includes manufacturing and testing regulations in energy chain applications.
This means that relevant manufacturers try to prove the durability of a cable for energy chains on the basis of existing tests or standards. However, the alternating bending test for the flexible cables specified in various test specifications, does not represent realistic energy chain applications.
Furthermore, these tests suggest that an e-chain cable reflects the stress in an e-chain, e.g. by changing bending directions. But these bending loads in the energy chain always follow the chain radius, with constant bend radius and direction. This results in a significantly higher mechanical stress on the cables.
The standard test is therefore not suitable for checking an energy chain cable properly. Therefore, the chainflex laboratory has specialised in its own realistic experiments and tests. We present specific case studies from daily practice. For these standard tests, parameters defined by igus are used: e.g. the cables are tested in different bend radii and travel distances according to their specifications.

At first glance, cables seem like an inconspicuous C-part. However, they have a huge influence on the proper functioning of machines. They are often referred to as the umbilical cord of the machine and decide whether huge harbour cranes move even a millimetre.
Our customers therefore want guaranteed service life to ensure planning security and reliability. Thanks to our large number of trials and tests, we can give our customers a guarantee and reliable prediction of the service life of our cables.

Why not provide the catalogue range with a clear guarantee so that every user can enjoy peace of mind? Because whenever energy or data is carried or moved, you need cables that can withstand the corresponding load. As the global market leader for energy chains, we are aware of our responsibility to ensure the greatest possible safety and, with chainflex®, we supply the best possible cable solution that is guaranteed to work.
Clear statements have been created that take into account a wide variety of applications and can even be calculated online. We give a guarantee of up to 36 months on every chainflex® cable supplied from our catalogue range. This guarantee promise is based on the knowledge gained in our in-house e-chain® test laboratory, the largest of its kind in the world at 2750 m². All our cable types are put through their paces here in over 800 parallel tests. The advertised lifetimes are therefore not loose advertising promises, but are based on facts from the numerous tests at e-chain®.

igus® was the first cable manufacturer to have the promise of the 36-month guarantee for chainflex® cable validated in conjunction with the 2 billion test strokes and 250 million cycles in batch tests. In an elaborate certification process, the US institute "Underwriters Laboratories"  confirmed the accuracy of the statement "igus® 36-month chainflex® cable guarantee and service life calculator based on 2 billion test cycles per year". This makes igus® the first company in Europe to have the veracity of an advertising claim confirmed by a neutral testing institute. In future, no chainflex® cable will leave the factory anywhere in the world that does not have the UL test mark with the number B129699.
 
For customers, this means a good feeling and the certainty that this guarantee statement is not just a marketing claim thrown around. Rather, it is a statement based on real data. In addition, this has now been confirmed once again by one of the largest independent and renowned testing institutes in the world.

Would you like to calculate the service life of your chainflex® cable? This way!

white paper UL verified
You can find much more detailed information in the free white paper