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Flexible cables for the e-chain®: an overview of chainflex® cables

If they are to have a long service life, flexible cables used in energy chains or robots must have special properties. Our cables have been optimised for a wide variety of applications. The igus chainflex product range includes everything from control cables, servo cables, motor cables, and robot cables to bus cables, data cables, encoder cables and fibre optic cables.

Cable for linear energy chains

Using a cable in an energy chain subjects it to movement and torsion, resulting in high loads. Our expertise in this area is based on our experience from countless tests performed over the course of 30 years. Cable loading is greatly dependent on travel and bend radius. We have developed seven rules to withstand this loading. They enable us to achieve especially high cable quality and offer the right cable for various requirements such as gusset-filling extrusion or special core stranding.
chainflex® control cable

Control cables

  • Cores wound in bundles for a long service life
  • Six different outer jacket materials
  • Large selection of core cross section combinations
chainflex® bus cable

Bus cables

  • All commonly used bus systems with mechanical features
  • Six different outer jacket materials
  • Simple selection matrix for a good overview
  • Reliable data transmission
chainflex motor cable

Motor cables

  • Free selection between multi-core cables and single cores
  • Six different outer jacket materials
  • shielded and unshielded solutions
chainflex® data cable

Data cables

  • Three different structures: cores wound in layers, twisted pairs and pair shields
  • Four different outer jacket materials
  • Best EMC properties thanks to high shield coverage
chainflex® measuring system cable

Measuring system cables

  • Electric design according to manufacturer standards
  • Bending radii up to 10xd
  • Jacket materials: PVC, iguPUR, PUR or TPE
chainflex® servo cable

Servo cables

  • Various structures with one or two pair, suitable for motor requirements
  • With the innovative shield pair structure and high-end overall shield for movement
  • Special core insulation for greater current flow
chainflex® special cable

Special cables

  • Cables for special applications
  • Extensive cable knowledge 
  • Experience from two billion test cycles
     
chainflex® fibre optic cables

Fibre optic cables

  • Available with various fibres and outer jacket materials
  • For long distances and the transmission of large amounts of data
  • Four advantages over copper bus systems
chainflex® hybrid cable

Hybrid cables

  • Design according to familiar manufacturer standards
  • A combination of energy transmission and data transmission
  • Solutions with PVC and PUR jackets

Robot cable

Robot cables are often also called torsion cables. This clearly indicates the completely different type of movement that these cables have to withstand. In this field of application, too, we have already been able to gain a great deal of knowledge in our in-house test laboratory over the past few years. Two of the most import are a different shielding concept and a soft design that absorbs movement within the cable. Over the course of countless tests, we have developed a clear definition of durability in terms of movement, since there is no normative reference. Our definition clearly states that a cable is considered a robot cable only if it has a guaranteed service life of five million cycles at +/-180 degrees/m.

Cables for torsion and robot applications

chainflex® torsion cable

Torsion cables

  • Special design to withstand torsional motion
  • Cables for robots and free motion
  • Unique torsion information in the cable industry
chainflex® seventh axis cable

Robot cables for the seventh axis

  • Cables for ABB, KUKA and Fanuc
  • Can be ordered harnessed
  • PUR outer jacket

Drive cable

Offering around 4,600 harnessed motor, servo, signal and encoder cables suitable for 24 manufacturer standards, igus is the world's number one when it comes to harnessed cables for use in energy chains. Providing seven different cable qualities, the range always offers the most cost-effective drive cable that is guaranteed to work. Thanks to the online service life calculator for ready-to-connect cables, the expected service life for the chosen application can be calculated quickly. igus is also the only manufacturer to offer a guarantee for cables of up to 36 months or 10 million strokes.

Everything is also available as ready-to-connect, pre-assembled readycable® cables

readycable® drive cables

Drive cables

  • Harnessed in accordance with 24 manufacturer standards
  • Can be selected and calculated online
  • 100% testing
  • Siemens DRIVE-CLiQ, pre-assembled from stock
readycable® network cables

Network cables

  • With or without overmoulded connectors
  • Ethernet CAT5-CAT7, Profibus and Profinet
  • 100% tested
readycable® sensor/actuator cables

Sensor/actuator cables

  • With M8, M12 and M23 connectors
  • Three different cable qualities
  • IP69 class
  • Optimised for bend radii of up to 4xd in the smallest of installation spaces

More information on chainflex cables

chainflex® test laboratory

Tested on a floor area of 3,800m²

Two billion annual test cycles for guaranteed safety against failure.

chainflex catalogue

chainflex® works: worldwide No. 1 in terms of testing.


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The terms "Apiro", "AutoChain", "CFRIP", "chainflex", "chainge", "chains for cranes", "ConProtect", "cradle-chain", "CTD", "drygear", "drylin", "dryspin", "dry-tech", "dryway", "easy chain", "e-chain", "e-chain systems", "e-ketten", "e-kettensysteme", "e-loop", "energy chain", "energy chain systems", "enjoyneering", "e-skin", "e-spool", "fixflex", "flizz", "i.Cee", "ibow", "igear", "iglidur", "igubal", "igumid", "igus", "igus improves what moves", "igus:bike", "igusGO", "igutex", "iguverse", "iguversum", "kineKIT", "kopla", "manus", "motion plastics", "motion polymers", "motionary", "plastics for longer life", "print2mold", "Rawbot", "RBTX", "readycable", "readychain", "ReBeL", "ReCyycle", "reguse", "robolink", "Rohbot", "savfe", "speedigus", "superwise", "take the dryway", "tribofilament", "triflex", "twisterchain", "when it moves, igus improves", "xirodur", "xiros" and "yes" are legally protected trademarks of the igus® GmbH/ Cologne in the Federal Republic of Germany and where applicable in some foreign countries. This is a non-exhaustive list of trademarks (e.g. pending trademark applications or registered trademarks) of igus GmbH or affiliated companies of igus in Germany, the European Union, the USA and/or other countries or jurisdictions.

igus® GmbH points out that it does not sell any products of the companies Allen Bradley, B&R, Baumüller, Beckhoff, Lahr, Control Techniques, Danaher Motion, ELAU, FAGOR, FANUC, Festo, Heidenhain, Jetter, Lenze, LinMot, LTi DRiVES, Mitsubishi, NUM,Parker, Bosch Rexroth, SEW, Siemens, Stöber and all other drive manufacturers mention on this website. The products offered by igus® are those of igus® GmbH