Why are so many people unaware that igus sells cables?

Jan Arnoldy | 29. June 2020

“You have cables, too?” How often I have heard that question. Many customers still act surprised when they hear that igus has cables in its range in addition to energy chains.

This is why I want to take a look at the history of chainflex cables in this article.

Why does a plastics company produce cable?

When igus launched the energy chain, many customers were excited by the new energy supply options. Many used our energy chains in their machines and systems and combined them with the cables they had been using.

In most cases, the service life was very short, since customers were usually using standard cables for fixed installation in energy chains. There were often failures and downtime for machines and systems.

Many customers thought that the cause of the the defect was the e-chain and discontinued use. This problem gave us the idea of developing special cables for moving applications in energy chains.

Lots of planning and testing went into implementing this idea. A detailed assessment was made of what was important in these cables and what properties they needed to ensure a long service life.

This gave rise to the first chainflex cables.

igus cables

After the introduction of the first chainflex cable, called “CF1”, in 1988, igus’s cable product portfolio grew each year. Intensive tests and close cooperation with our customers enable us to continuously expand various cable series. Today, igus offers more than 1,350 cable types.

How do chains and cables interact?

To ensure fail-safe function, cable design must be harmonised for use in the energy chain. Cables that are used in energy chains therefore have very different interior designs and materials, which are selected for fixed installation. But it is not just the properties of the cables themselves that are important. Proper chain fitting plays an important role, too. Chain and cable must be harmonised both to each other and to the application in question in order to deliver optimum results.

Everything from one source

As a supplier of energy chains and cables, we offer our customers a number of advantages. Our expertise, developed over years, enables us to give you just the right advice. It ensures the best combination of igus products for any application.

We can find the perfect solution for your application, too. Talk to us.