Play it safe with tested cable/connector combinations


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Objective:
Developing a reliable cable/connector combination for Profinet with matching components
 
Requirements: 
Customers would like to use the high-quality components of both companies. However, you also need a clear statement about the reliable combination of the two components.
 
Industry:
Machinery & plant operators
 
Success for the customer:
Thanks to the collaboration of the product specialists (Katharina Esch, igus and Bianca Ulmschneider, Telegärtner) and their teams, it was possible to create a safe Profinet connection far beyond any standards. With this result, even the most demanding customer enjoys the security of combining the highest quality components, which are clearly above the market standard, in a functionally reliable way.
 
About the test procedure:
M12 circular connectors (D-coded) STX M12x1 KS with the Profinet cable CFBUS.060 were professionally harnessed and measured using data transmission. After the successful test, the cable with the connector in motion was subjected to stress and regularly remeasured. For this purpose, it was possible to fall back on the large test laboratory of the company igus to mechanically stress the cables in a real application. After completion of the endurance test, the complete test specimens were measured for their high-frequency behaviour at Telegärtner and evaluated as positive.
Product experts for cable/connector combinations Katharina Esch (left) and Bianca Ulmschneider in conversation

The problem

No user needs only one cable alone or just one plug-in connector. Signals are only transmitted if both are present and work together permanently. This was precisely the subject of the joint tests.  "Customers in all segments are increasingly choosing high-quality products, such as the CFBUS series for small installation spaces and long travels," confirms Ms. Esch. "The situation is similar in the case of plug-in connectors or expensive machinery, the investment in which is only worthwhile if they function optimally," explains Ms. Ulmschneider.
 
Both companies have the highest quality components in their product portfolio, which are tailored to the customer's application and should always represent the best price performance ratio. This is proven by igus with extensive guarantee statements and an online service life calculator. However, the challenge for the customer is always: Does the connector also match the cable and vice versa? As a customer, can you also expect the maximum from both high-end products if you combine them?

The solution

The path of collaborative testing, which has been pursued since 2013, will now be taken further. Two specialists work on the research and improvement of your product individually and develop the optimum in your product area. Mrs. Esch enumerates the variance of 9 Profinet cables with the service life guarantee: PVC cables with radii for 15xd and 12.5xd, as well as oil-resistant versions for 15xd and 12.5xd, two robot cables, one high-tensile version and two types for highest dynamics which were tested here. These developments are now finalised by coordinating adjacent products, such as connectors in this case, with the manufacturer and creating them just as conscientiously.
 
This means that the customer can rely not only on the product as such, but also on reliable use in his machine, where he always employs it in a combination. During the tests, all the special features of the respective products were of course taken into account. In the case of the cable, this is the high-quality inner jackets for durability over long distances and small radii, and in the case of the connector, the perfect connection with the IDC - Insulation Displacement Terminations - in conjunction with the CFBUS.060 19-stranded wire.

Products used