Long-term trouble-free operation is ensured with energy chain cables from igus® GmbH

An energy chain cable is a cable specially developed for use in an energy chain. energy chains ensure the orderly routing of cables for the supply and control system of machine and system parts that are constantly in motion for operational reasons. The load that the energy chain cables from igus® GmbH permanently withstand results from the continuous bending stress and the ambient conditions.

chainflex® cable + igus® energy chain = production reliability The energy chain with the registered brand name e-chain® and the energy chain cables from igus® GmbH, which have the brand name chainflex®, form a single unit. During intensive development work, both system components were increasingly harmonised with each other. The focus was on optimising maximum service life with minimum bend radius. The larger this is, the lower the mechanical stress. This increases the number of strokes that the cables can withstand, but also the space required for the system. The energy chain cables from igus® GmbH combine a long service life of several million double strokes with a minimum space requirement of bend radius from four times the cable diameter. This result can be attributed to the sophisticated design principles and the materials of the cables, which are specially adapted for use in the energy chain.

The careful selection and testing of the materials used means that the energy chain cables are extremely resistant to a wide range of environmental influences. The areas of application for the cables include machining centres and machine tools with oil and chip-laden atmospheres, storage and retrieval machines with long travel distances, clean rooms and food industry systems with special requirements for chemical resistance as well as outdoor crane systems and offshore applications with extreme weather conditions.

Energy chain cables for all applications The drives are supplied with energy via motor cable and servo cable. These cables are available from igus® GmbH in many variants for all known drive technology systems in the form of multi-core cables or cables with a single core.

The range of control cables, data cables and measuring system cables for the exchange of information and signals between the system controller and the system components is just as extensive.

In addition, fibre optic cables (fibre optic cables), robot cables and special cables as well as a large number of bus cables for the various systems are available in very high quality.

The cables are supplied as sold by the metre or as pre-assembled cables tailored to specific requirements. As pre-assembled, ready-to-connect cables, we offer drive cables according to manufacturer standards, network, Ethernet, fibre optic and fieldbus cables, cables for video, vision and bus technology, sensor and actuator cables as well as cables with industrial connectors.

Globally recognised quality standards The areas of application for igus® energy chain cables cover almost all branches of industry. The energy chains can be found on every continent. Special standards apply both for the individual branches of industry and for the different regions, which must be individually verified by certificates if they are to be used there. As the energy chain cables igus® GmbH successfully perform their service everywhere, the necessary certificates are also available, which were preceded by tests based on the individual standards in cooperation with the various testing organisations and approval bodies.

Compliance with quality standards is ensured by ongoing quality controls in the igus® GmbH test laboratory. The conditions of use for planned applications for which no experience is yet available can also be simulated there. Customised energy chains and cables, as well as new standard products, are constantly tested at 70 test stations with travel distances of up to 130 m, in the climate chamber, in the noise chamber and in outdoor facilities. The tests include fatigue bending tests at extreme temperatures in various liquid media, abrasion tests in combination with the intended chain materials and fatigue torsion tests.