igus® Bowden cable
Martin Raak | 19. May 2011
A Bowden cable is a moving machine element to transmit a mechanical movement or a pulling force through a combination of a wire and a casing sturdy in the running direction (“draw wire” according to DIN 71986).
The Bowden cable was named after its inventor Ernest Monnington Bowden (1860-1904).
An optimized friction pair between the drive wire and the outer slide segments is achieved by appropriate materials. A support or guiding element is not necessary, because the system is self-centered in the draw wires by tensile forces. All materials, outer slide segments and wires are made of plastic. The individual outer slide segments are made of PA2200 plastic. All the individual parts are similar, they are assembled in the pre-assembly by simple clipping. The components of the outer slide have a spherical bearing face for:
Centering of the segments among each other
Transfer of pressure forces in the Bowden
3-dimensional movement potential of the segments
The draw wire is a Dyneema rope with a nominal tensile strength of 3800N.