When humans and machines stand shoulder to shoulder on the production line, safety at work is a critical issue. To ensure cables and hoses are reliably and compactly guided on cobots, igus has developed a universal clamp.

In this week’s video igus showcases its automated assembly line for readycable at its UK facility in Northampton. The new line uses fully-automated machines and lean manufacturing methods to streamline its assembly process to deliver fully-harnessed drive cables shipped within 24 hours of order placement.

During day to day business at igus UK, it is not unusual to get the odd phone call from customers and potential customers who have a novel idea on a new machine or concept. One Friday morning, a few weeks back, igus received such a call from the producer/director of The Gadget Show, a long-running television series on Channel 5 that focuses on consumer technology. 

Wheelchairs are a wonderful brainchild, though no one is quite sure when it was first invented. The first one on record was made for Phillip II of Spain in towards the end of the 1500s. Since then, incremental developments have been made but the basic design (except for specialised sports wheelchairs) remains the same.

The igus twisterband range has further extended its reach by providing compact horizontal rotations of up to 7,000°, which is nearly 200 full-turns, and vertical rotations of 3,000°. At speeds of up to 180°/sec, that is 30 full-turns in a minute.

The trend for variable frequency drives (VFDs) is moving towards more compact drives with the same or a higher performance level than their predecessors. The more compact design of the motors can result in higher temperatures within the system, compared to larger ranges of the same motors. The result is that the cable heats up via the connector contacts.

A new hybrid cable for SEW and Siemens motors has been developed by igus, the CF280.UL.H, which is designed for use for use in energy chains. Engineers working in intralogistics, machine tool construction or the automotive industry have the added benefit of purchasing the chainflex cable with a 36-month guarantee, either bought by the metre or supplied as a ready-to-connect readycable.

A family of Ethernet/CAT5 chainflex cables, the CFROBOT8.PLUS, have been introduced by igus and designed specifically for 6-axis robots. Suitable for torsion angles up to ±360°, the cables have been tested in-house for several years and remain running fault-free for more than 15 million cycles.

With live performances at business venues up and dow­­­­n the UK and Ireland the igus drylin delta robot is now officially on tour. It has already visited Aberdeen and Bristol and, in Ireland, Dublin and Galway but fear not – further dates the next three months are scheduled in the East Midlands, Gloucestershire, Wales and the South East.

  If cables are to be harnessed, finding the matching connector is relatively easy. Unfortunately, they are often not available from the manufacturer in such small quantities. igus now offers an additional service with its new online connector shop.  

igus has introduced chainflex CAT5e (CFBUS.LB.045) and CAT6 (CFBUS.LB.049) cables with Fraunhofer IPA approval for cleanroom class 1. In tests, with a bending radius of 6.6 x d, the Ethernet cables completed over 24 million double-strokes without failure.

E-chains from bearing specialist igus, are used in warehouses all over the world, from pallet storage to automated small parts stores. And, when it comes to other intralogistics machines and equipment, igus aims to find the best possible solution using energy chains, cables and iglidur plastic bearings.

Special challenges require innovative solutions. This applies to the extendable support legs on many construction vehicles, such as concrete pump trucks or mobile cranes. Here, the safe guidance of hydraulic hoses and cables is critical as they supply the continuous power to the equipment, even under high mechanical stress and tough environmental conditions.

igus extends its readycable product finder online tool with integrated service life calculator to predict the lifetime of the cable. The tool enables designers, looking for highly flexible drive cables for energy chains, to select the required cable, from more than 4200 cable types, according to 24 manufacturer standards.

CAT5e or CAT6 cables are vital for the implementation of Industry 4.0 in automation around the world. The new igus chainflex CFBUS.045 (CAT5e) and CFBUS.049 (CAT6) Ethernet cables, have earned an enhanced UL listed mark for use in North America at 600V.

Collaborative robots, or cobots, are mainly used as assistants in simple or interactive activities and, in contrast to large and fast industrial robots, work hand in hand with humans. That is why cobot and industrial robot service engineers are already using igus' multi-axis round triflex R e-chains. In addition to conventional metal clamps for industrial robots, igus has developed new plastic mounting clamps that attach the energy chain to the r...

A decisive step has been taken by igus towards the fire protection in car interior applications with the 3D print material iglidur I3. Not only is the material extremely wear-resistant and therefore an all-rounder for all types of wear resistant parts, it also meets the requirements for the FMVSS 302 fire test. In the tests, the measured calorific value is approximately five times lower than the maximum permitted limit.

Two-wheel motorsport has a whole range of different vehicle classes; down to single-cylinder machines. The limited engine power of these bikes is not a disadvantage, if the weight - namely, the mass to be accelerated - is also reduced considerably. Here, plastic bearings make an important contribution.

The CF8821 data cable has been introduced by igus as a cost-effective alternative to standard chainflex cable for builders of equipment with low duty cycles, such as adjustment devices, encoder units, and wood or stone processing machines. With the new series, machine builders can save up to 30% cost and still get a cable with UL approval.

Hartford uses fully-assembled energy chain systems from igus in its robotic machining centres. This cuts out many process steps for the manufacturer, reducing assembly time from several weeks to just half a day. Another benefit for Hartford is that when it orders readychain from igus, it is from a single source and delivered onsite fully tested.