The ins and outs of chainflex®
Q & A with John Barker: chainflex® Product Manager
Question:
Could you tell me about chainflex®?
Answer:
Absolutely. chainflex® are cables that are specifically designed for dynamic motion. So, whether these are continuous flex applications, or working within e-chain® systems – drag chain or power track, whatever you wish to call them – it is all about that continuous motion. igus® does not supply cables for static applications at all; you are more than welcome to use our cables for that, however, what we produce is for motion. Our key phrase is: long-lasting life in continuous flex applications.
In addition, we have the largest range of cables in the world designed to do this. Ranging from control, data and bus to servo, encoder and motor cables – in reality, we cover the widest variety of cables for e-chain® use worldwide. We have over 1354 options, so the chances are that we have the cable that meets your needs.
Question:
What makes igus® cables different from other manufacturers’?
Answer:
I think it’s that philosophy where we only manufacture for dynamic applications. Other manufacturers have cables designed for a much wider scope which means their resource is spread over an extra range, whereas our resource and effort go into creating cables that are designed to move for millions upon millions of double strokes, so that really helps us because it keeps us creating high-quality cables which can achieve that.
At igus®, we have cables that are designed for the widest range of applications: we can support cleanroom, indoor, safe applications using PVC – the most effective material to use. However, we can also support you on a crane in Siberia, for example, where there is a very arduous, cold, or harsh environment to work with – we have the TPE [(thermoplastic elastomer)] materials to help support that. We even have cables that can perform at super tight, low bend with our CF soft products – where you are trying to keep the envelope as small as possible, we are able to help.
Question:
How do you know that your cables can run for millions of strokes?
Answer:
The good thing about igus® is that since we manufacture e-chains® and we manufacture our cables, we are one of the few manufacturers that do both in the volume that we do. With that, we have been able to have the largest test laboratory in the world for testing cables inside e-chains®. This is running 24/7, creating over 2 billion test strokes per years’ worth of data, which gives us that authority to know exactly what our cables can do as well as, more importantly, what our cables cannot do. That means that not only can we provide you with lifetime calculations in accordance with the catalogue – if you need to do something which is outside of that specification, we can provide lifetime calculations based on that as well.
Question:
Are your calculations available to customers?
Answer:
If you spend any time on the igus® website, you will find lots and lots of different configuration tools, and within the chainflex® section we are exactly the same. One of those is a lifetime calculator, so if you know the parameters of your application, such as: speed, acceleration, bend radius, working environment temperature etc., this will give you a print off of exactly how long we anticipate your cable to last – or a minimum time that we expect your cable to last. So, yes, that is available to everyone and you may export that as you wish.
Question:
In terms of lasting, what would be the signs for a user to keep in mind for when a cable needs replacing?
Answer:
Yes, good question. Well, for our cables, when we guarantee them in performance, we actually guarantee both the electrical and mechanical performance. So, from a visual standpoint, the things to observe are wearing on the jacket material – without taking the cable apart and going through it, it is very difficult to understand what is going on internally. Therefore, from an external viewpoint, it would be more the condition of the outer jacket. However, all the [jacket] materials that igus® uses are highly abrasion-resistant, so you should actually see the minimal influence on that outer jacket. But, in reality, my sincerest advice is that you use a lifetime calculator to tell you what exactly is going on and then replace them according to the lifetime result. Due to the electrical influence, copper conductors are necessary within each cable, unfortunately, these copper conductors will, over time and especially in continuous flex applications, start to come away. Realistically, the user will, unfortunately, not know that this is happening without sticking an electrical device on it and observing the resistance change. So, as igus® has already done that for you, the results can be obtained in advance via the online lifetime calculation tool, in order to be able to plan in maintenance and understand which warranties to give on your products, knowing that your cables are fit for the complete lifetime of it.
Question:
When these do falter, expectedly or not, is there a warranty in place for igus® customers?
Answer:
Absolutely. So, as well as a standard manufacturer’s warranty, we also operate a 36-month guarantee policy with all chainflex®. Providing it has been specified and used in accordance with the catalogue parameters, we guarantee the performance for up to 36 months or 10 million double strokes – whichever arrives first. There is a table on every section of the catalogue and the online product pages telling you the lifetime depending on your application details – it explains it clearly and how to use it. That is inherent in every single product that we have: if that fails, anywhere in the world, we will support you in fixing that.
I will point out that I myself have never had to do that – because our cables do not often fail!
Question:
What extras can a customer add to your cables prior to purchase?
Answer:
Our goal is to support our customers to the best of our ability. There are some customers who, because of the way that their own processes work, prefer raw cable where they can assemble everything onsite; or if they need to feed it through small gaps which means having connectors on the end would not help. However, there are others that don’t – that hassle and risk is not something they want. Therefore, we can supply any of our cables as what we call plug and play. This means you open the box and all your connectors are assembled, you just plug it into your machine and you’re ready to go. That can be done here in Northampton, thanks to our automated harnessing line with other connectors as well – just communicate with us and we can supply those cables pre-fitted with connectors or just as raw cable. Whatever’s best for you, igus® can supply.
Question:
Do igus® cables work in different sorts of cable carriers?
Answer:
Our preference is, of course, for you to use our own energy chain systems, naturally, this is what our test lab is built around – this is where all of our data is from. However, if you are using other cable carrying systems, our cables are still designed to be the longest life systems on the market. Nonetheless, they will work and perform best within our own e-chains® where you then can be fully supported, tested, and lifetime guaranteed under the igus® umbrella.
Question:
In terms of applications, how long a cable can you supply?
Answer:
Oddly, that actually depends on the cable itself. Such as, if you have a cable with a large OD [(outer diameter)], you’re going to have a shorter amount of cable on a drum because it takes up more space. We have cables on drums of up to 1000m in one continuous length, but again, in terms of volume, you are looking anywhere between 500m and 1000m for one continuous length. As standard, you can have as large a volume of drum as you wish. We can also perform special production runs for those if you communicate with us, we will find out if we can supply your required length. We at igus® are here to try and support you with your application and your requirements.
Question:
What is the minimum order quantity for raw chainflex® cables?
Answer:
We are pretty unique in that we offer raw cable from just 1 metre. At the end of the day, if you have a replacement cable that you are trying to source, we are not going to charge you for an entire drum – that’s not helping anyone. So, our MOQ is 1m for unharnessed cable and can be shorter for harnessed cables due to having connectors.
Question:
Where can we find igus® cables today?
Answer:
igus® cables are everywhere. You will find us in printing machines, medical equipment, rail doors, on- and offshore ports and cranes, any production facility.
Anything that has to move continuously, igus® will be there.
Visit the website to find out more about igus® chainflex® cables.
Alternatively, contact our Product Manager John Barker: jbarker@igus.co.uk for any chainflex® enquiries.
