Hybrid cable for suspended applications suitable for SEW-Eurodrive

Igus has developed the CFSPECIAL.192 hybrid cable to ensure trouble-free operation even for long, suspended applications. It is the only cable on the market designed specifically for hanging applications in e-chains, matching MOVILINK DDI from SEW-EURODRIVE.

Thanks to a high tensile strength aramid support element in the cable jacket, it’s possible to service mast heights five times higher than with standard cables.

With 1,354 cable types for data, bus, and hybrid systems that provide control and drive, Igus offers a huge range of cables for moving applications in a wide variety of industries. The company has developed the chainflex CFSPECIAL cable series for applications that have challenging requirements like high tensile load. New in the series is the CFSPECIAL.192 – the first single hybrid cable for suspended applications, suitable for the MOVILINK DDI drive technology from SEW-Eurodrive.

“Hybrid technology is becoming more and more popular, meaning that the demand for new single-cable solutions is also growing,” explains Justin Leonard, director for e-chains and cables at Igus UK. “Increasingly in the intralogistics sector, companies rely on the digital motor interface MOVILINK DDI from SEW-EURODRIVE, for which Igus already offers several suitable cables. However, hanging applications – such as R-Control panels, which can have very high mast heights – place very special demands on the cables used. With CFSPECIAL.192, we have now developed a new cable solution that can fulfil lifting heights up to 50 metres.”

Absorb a force of over 4,200 newtons

“The challenge with hanging applications is that you need a cable that is, firstly suitable for chains and, secondly, can absorb enough tractive force to not break, even with long distances and high lifting heights,” explains Leonard.

The cable must bear its own weight – according to the standard, this is a maximum of 15 newtons per mm² of main electrical core. Although it is possible to increase the cross-section, this does not automatically mean longer cable lengths. At the same time, the dead weight of the cable increases.

“To solve this problem, we incorporated a high tensile aramid braid into the PUR outer jacket of CFSPECIAL.192 tests in our laboratory in Germany show that the tensile strength is 500% higher than a standard cable suitable for MOVILINK DDI. Our new cable achieves a tensile force of over 4,200 newtons, making it ideal for vertical applications such as stacker cranes.”

With this new hybrid cable, customers also save costs by eliminating the need for a second cable and the time-consuming interception of the power supply in the energy chain. At the same time, the one-cable solution also requires less installation space and is lighter. In addition to lower costs, users also benefit from the much longer service life of the cable in suspended applications.

All Igus cables are subjected to numerous tests, from the results of which the service life of each cable can be calculated – even quite simply via an online tool. “For this reason, we are the only supplier on the market to offer a 36-month warranty on all our chainflex cables,” emphasises Leonard. “Users therefore benefit from a durable solution that helps ensure safe and trouble-free operation even in high applications and long distances.”