Why does igus offer so many different cable types of the same kind?
Nils Jäger | 4. May 2020
If one takes a look at the chainflex catalogue, one quickly realises that igus has many different cable types of the same kind in its range. In the section on control cables alone there are 19 different cable ranges.
Why is that?
The range of control cables includes cables with overall shield as well as without overall shield. Users can therefore always select their cable according to their requirements.
In addition to the shield, there are differences in the material of the outer jacket. Here we distinguish between the three major groups PVC, PUR and TPE.
The ideal cable for every application
igus is a specialist in the field of moving applications and offers polymer bearings and energy chain systems. The range of cables is tailored to the latter product group.
Modern systems and machines have very different requirements for moving cables. It therefore makes sense to offer different cable types of the same kind.
Many cables are inserted in energy chains to ensure safe cable guidance. Here there are applications with both short and long travels. There are also different bend radii for the energy chains.
Consequently, the load requirements to which the cables are exposed are variable. Added to this are environmental influences such as chemicals, oils and different temperatures. The number of double strokes that a system makes in the course of a machine’s life also varies greatly.
The indoor crane of a mechanical engineering company is perhaps only used 20 times a day to transport various machine parts or other loads from A to B. 300,000 double strokes will not be achieved in this way in ten years. However, the situation is different for systems in the semiconductor industry. These machines produce high volumes, so that several million double strokes are achieved within one year.
Classifications
Due to these diverse requirements, igus offers cables with different classifications. These should enable the customer to select the most favourable cable with the best possible service life for the respective application. For this reason we have introduced the chainflex Class. This should help to select the right cable based on the criteria of stress, travel, oil resistance and torsion. The higher the number, the better the cable.
In addition, this cable variety offers various possibilities. For example, one can choose a solution with a greater technical advantage. However, if you are looking to save costs, a cheaper variant can also be used. There are often other possibilities between these solutions.
Conclusion
The chainflex cable portfolio offers great variety. This makes it possible to select the appropriate cable series for each application. No matter whether costs are to be saved or a technical progress is to be achieved; one always has the possibility to obtain the best price-performance ratio and this with guaranteed security. This is what the 36-month chainflex guarantee stands for.
Are you looking for the right cable for your application? Call us or try out our product finder for cables.