chainflex® flexible cables work, guaranteed

The creation of the cables at igus

When igus launched the plastic energy chain on the market, many customers were excited about this innovation in the field of energy supply systems, previous solutions had brought some difficulties with them. However, with the introduction of the energy chain came challenges, namely that many cables could not accommodate this new degree of movement. And so, igus was faced with customer statements like the following:  "We didn't have these cable problems before we used plastic energy chains!"

Testing, testing, testing

Each cable is subjected to the standard tests immediately after manufacture. To this day, none of the worldwide cable standards includes manufacturing and testing regulations in energy chain applications.  This means that relevant manufacturers try to prove the durability of a cable for energy chains on the basis of existing tests or standards. However, the alternating bending test for the flexible cables specified in various test specifications, does not represent realistic energy chain applications.

Furthermore, these tests suggest that an e-chain cable reflects the stress in an e-chain, e.g. by changing bending directions. But these bending loads in the energy chain always follow the chain radius, with constant bend radius and direction. This results in a significantly higher mechanical stress on the cables.
The standard test is therefore not suitable for checking an energy chain cable properly. Therefore, the chainflex laboratory has specialised in its own realistic experiments and tests. We present specific case studies from daily practice. For these standard tests, parameters defined by igus are used: e.g. the cables are tested in different bend radii and travel distances according to their specifications.

Cable guarantee

At first glance, cables appear to be an inconspicuous part. However, they have a great influence on the function of machines. Often referred to as the umbilical cord of the machine, they determine whether giant port cranes move even a millimetre.  Our customers therefore want guaranteed service life, so that planning security and reliability are guaranteed. Due to our large number of trials and tests, we can give our customers a guarantee and reliable prediction about the service life of our cables.

Why not provide the catalogue product range with a clear guarantee to give every user security? Because whenever energy or data is routed or moved, cables that can withstand the appropriate loads are needed. In order to be able to guarantee the greatest possible safety here, we are aware of our responsibility as the world market leader for energy chains and, with chainflex, supply the best possible cable solution that is guaranteed to work.

Statements have emerged that take into account a wide variety of applications and can even be calculated online. We give a guarantee of up to 36 months on every chainflex cable delivered from our catalogue range. This guarantee promise is based on the findings gained in the company's own test laboratory, the largest of it's kind in the world at 2750m². All our cable types are vigorously tested here in over 800 parallel tests. The advertised service life is therefore not loose promises, but are based on facts from the numerous tests in e-chains.

The confirmation of our marketing promise

The company igus was the first cable manufacturer to offer the promise of an up to 36-month guarantee for chainflex cables in connection with the 2 billion test strokes and 250 million cycles in batch tests. In 2024 we were able to increase that guarantee to up to 4 years. In a complex certification process, the US "Underwriters Laboratories" institute  confirmed this guarantee. This makes igus the first company in Europe to have the integrity of an advertising statement confirmed by a neutral testing institution. In the future, no chainflex cable will leave the factory anywhere in the world that does not have the UL test mark of approval.

For customers, this provides reassurance and the certainty that this guarantee statement is not just a throwaway marketing statement. It is a statement based on real data. In addition, this has now been confirmed once again by one of the largest independent and renowned test institutes in the world.

Would you like to calculate the service life of your chainflex cable? This way!