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e-chains®, chainflex®, cables, harnessed systems readychain®
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To make the choice easier for you, we have classified all chainflex® types according to the criteria "basic requirements, travel length, oil resistance and torsion". The higher the number, the better the cable.
Example: You are looking for a cable which is suitable for the highest mechanical capability. In an unsupported and gliding application, the travel should be up to 100 m. In addition, the cable is also designed to meet the oil-resistance requirements according to DIN EN 50363-10-2. The cable is not especially designed for torsion applications.
You choose from the classification overview:
Basic requirements: 6 Travel length: 5 Oil resistance: 3 Torsion: 1
This results in the cable's class – here “Class 6.5.3.1”, which you can find on each product's page.
| Basic requirements | Travel length | Oil resistance | Torsion |
| from 1 to 7 | from 1 to 6 | from 1 to 4 | from 1 to 4 |
| Basic requirements | ❶ | low | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | highest |
| Travel length | ❷ | unsupported | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 400 m + | |
| Oil resistance | ❸ | none | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | highest | |||
| Torsion | ❹ | none | 1 | 2 | 3 | ±180° | ||||
1: Flexible cables
2: Highly flexible cables
3: Chain-suitable cables without special design (e.g. cores wound in layers) for application in e-chains®.
4: Cables with special structure for continuous movement in e-chains®, medium load, radii from 7.5 x d, speed up to 3 m/s
5: Cables for continuous movement in e-chains®, high load, radii from 6.8 x d, speed up to 10 m/s
6: Cables for continuous movement in e-chains®, highest load, radii from 5 x d, speed up to 10 m/s
7: Cables for continuous movement in e-chains®, highest load for the smallest radii, indoor and outdoor applications, radii from 4 x d, speeds up to 10 m/s and more
1: Unsupported
2: Travel up to 10 m
3: Travel up to 20 m
4: Travel up to 50 m
5: Travel up to 100 m
6: Travel up to 400 m and more
1: No oil resistance
2: Oil-resistant (based on DIN EN 50363-4-1)
3: Oil-resistant (based on DIN EN 50363-10-2)
4: Oil-resistant (based on DIN EN 60811-2-1, organic oil-resistant (based on VDMA 24568 with Plantocut 8 S-MB tested by DEA)
1: No torsion
2: ± 90°, for 1 m cable length
3: ± 180°, for 1 m cable length
igus® has been supplying cables for permanent movement in e-chains® for more than 25 years now – chainflex® cables, which are quite simply good for one thing:
Reliable function.
To achieve this, all chainflex® cables in all e-chain® applications have to cope with demanding requirements, e.g. very small bend radii, high cycle rates, compact installation spaces, a wide range of chemical influences and dynamic parameters.
igus® carries out basic cable qualification tests according to igus® standards at its own technical centre and in the testing laboratory. These chainflex® qualification standards include series of tests which then lead to assignment to the respective igus® "class".
In addition to the typical cable specific standardized tests (such as endurance flexing cycle tests, aging, abrasions, media resistance, possibly flame resistance, etc.), materials proposed for use in series production on chainflex® cables must pass a host of endurance tests in e-chains®. These test programs, which can last up to 3 years, are always based on motion tests in and with e-chains®/e-chain® materials and comprise:
Endurance bending tests in e-chains® at room temperature and gliding and unsupported travel.
Endurance bending tests in e-chains® at sub-freezing temperatures and travel of 8 m (up to -40 °C, depending on materials)
Endurance bending tests in e-chains® in various liquid media at travel of approx. 0.5 m.
Abrasion tests Abrasion tests in combination with chain materials.
These test programs are based in standard specifications from the certification agencies and are performed in accordance with these specifications.
Depending on the defined objective (e.g. double stroke), these test programs, which can last 1-3 years, are always based on motion tests in and with e-chains® and comprise:
Endurance bending tests in e-chains® at room temperature and gliding and unsupported travel. The radii are substantially smaller than subsequently defined in the catalog.
Endurance bending tests in e-chains® at varying temperature curves ranging from -40 °C to +60 °C - depending on design and material - at gliding travels and smaller radii than subsequently defined in the catalog.
Endurance torsion tests in triflex® e-chains® at ±180 °/m for torsion cables on the torsion test rig with 1 m triflex® e-chain®.
Endurance torsion tests in triflex® e-chains® with motion programs on 6 axes robots.
After a multi-year qualification of the design and the materials, the production processes are qualified and defined down to the machine level, in order to keep the manufacturing tolerance as low as possible.
Cables are of course systematically and continuously sampled from running production and subjected to a lot test. Lot testing at igus® means:
Recording and reviewing the production parameters in relation to the chainflex® cable.
Performance of endurance bending tests in e-chain® testing rigs with short, fast travels.
