Electricity + Control June 2018

round up

CABLES + ACCESSORIES

Cable guidance in confined spaces

expanded the E2.1 product range with three new inner height sizes of 2.6, 3.8 and 4.8 cm. Due to the smooth contours, the interior of the e-chains is very cable-friendly, offering up to 0.3 cm greater inner height. Separators with rounded edges are offered to extend the service life of hoses and cables even more. An integrated grid marking is also provided on the crossbars for precise mounting of the separators. Highly flexible chainflex cables for compact installation space Chainflex cables and energy chains from igus make for a perfect fit, as chainflex cables are specifically designed for use in energy chains. The chainflex CFBUS.LB.060 Profinet cable allows data to be transmitted in the tightest of spaces with a bend radius of just 7.5 x d. All chainflex cables are tested in the igus in-house laborato- ry, which allows igus to be the only manufacturer on the market to offer a 36-month guarantee on its cables. Readychain is a complete system, comprising an e-chain and cables, and is available for cus- tomers to immediately start using in application. Enquiries:Tel. +27 (0) 11 312 1848 or visit www.igus.co.za

A safe energy supply with highly dynamic cable travel is particularly important for machines with confined spaces. Therefore, igus has developed the small-sized E2.10 energy chain from the E2.1 se- ries. The e-chain has an inner height of only one centimetre and an outer height of one and a half centimetres, making it ideal for the smallest of spaces. Like all links from the E2.1 product range, the chain links consist of only one bottom and side part, as well as one crossbar. The e-chain can be easily opened from both the top and the side with a screw driver. The opening mechanism is included in each initial order, which allows the chain to be opened quickly and closed by hand after the cables have been fitted. Products from the E2.1 series also have a durable stop-dog for up to 25 % greater unsupported length, 100 % higher fill weight and 10 % less overall weight than its e-chain counterparts. The ‘brake’ on the stop-dog of the links enables quiet-running properties, making the e-chain suit- able in numerous applications, including automatic doors, vehicles or medical furniture. Cable-friendly design, quick and easy assembly To accommodate an even greater variety of applications, igus has

The next generation of cable reel

The e-spool is also more modular and adaptable than conventional systems. In conventional systems, a slip ring or rotary feedthrough is an integral part of the cable reel, and is designed to accommo- date a specific number of conductors of a specific size. If the cus- tomer’s electrical requirements change, and additional capacity is required, the entire cable reel must be replaced with one that con- tains a higher capacity slip ring. With the e-spool, if the electrical requirements change, the cable management system can remain in place and only the ca- ble must be changed. Cables are installed by simply opening the crossbars and laying the cables in to the two cable carriers.

igus ® created the e-spool as a replacement for traditional cable reels and zigzag systems. The solution was designed so that it would successfully eliminate issues that these other systems of- ten cause. In traditional cable reels, a cable is run from the source (panel box, PLC, etc.) to the fixed point of a slip ring. A second ca- ble is then run from the rotational point of a slip ring to the end ef- fector (lighting truss, assembly tool, etc.) This requires two lengths of cable, with four ends to be terminated. More terminations mean more installation labour and more points of potential failure. In an e-spool, a single continuous cable is run from the source to the end effector without any intermediate terminations, improving the quality of the electrical signal and minimising the risk of failure. The e-spool is designed to be much more versatile in what types of energy it can carry. In traditional cable reels, only one cable can be used per reel. Traditional solutions also require different types of reels for different energy sources, which have different form fac- tors and must be purchased from multiple different suppliers. Since the e-spool does not contain a specialised slip ring or rotary feed through, multiple energy supply lines of multiple different types (power, control, data, pneumatic) can be guided in a single system.

The e-spool’s design is optimised for extended service life. It is expected to achieve between 70 000 and 200 000 strokes, depending on the application, while traditional cable reels often re- quire service at a lesser number of cy- cles. Enquiries: Email sales@igus.com

8 Electricity + Control

JUNE 2018