Tailor-made Wiring Systems

With the aim to make machine design as lean as possible within the production process, igus provides customers with tailor-made systems developed to design according to their needs. During an event organized by the Italian branch of the German manufacturer, this and other trends in the field of wiring were highlighted.

“Reliability and service are two key aspects of our philosophy. The former is ensured by the very strict tests carried out in the Cologne lab, with a 2,750 square meters area, while the latter lays behind, for example, readycable® and readychain® trade brands, respectively for cables and cable carriers.
The idea is to provide customers with tailor-made systems to design, with the support of igus, according to their needs, with the aim of making machine design really lean, with more than a single components in one code. Very fast delivery times – thanks to the Cologne factory, which works on 3 shifts – and the fact that there is no minimum order value are part of this philosophy”. Marcello Mandelli, Product Manager sistemi per catene portacavi at igus, summed up some of the most relevant concepts mentioned during the Safety Day at Kilometro Rosso.

36-months warranty certificate
Talking about the relationship with their customers, igus has set up a warranty certificate for cables up to 36 months with the aim of training company staffs on the installation of cables and cable carriers. “We only ask our customers for a bit of their time”, explained Simone Gadeschi from igus. “Our technicians are concerned with staff training, giving a lot of room for the practical part during training itself. The company then receives a warranty for up to 36 months, valid for any possible damage on chainflex cables that are correctly installed and allowing for the free replacement of the damaged cable. Of course, training will enable the newly formed staff to intervene in case of malfunctions”.
Another useful work tool is the online tool, which can be found on the igus official site. This allows users to choose the most appropriate product after setting accurate parameters.
“It is a valid support especially for those who are not very familiar with the product and provides, in addition to a report to be shared with igus or even within the company, a cost evaluation and, above all, a forecast of the product life”, said Cristian Pierobon from igus.

Industry 4.0-ready solutions for wear monitoring
Preventive maintenance was another topic dealt with during the day: within the “smart plastics” project, igus has added the isense sensors and monitoring modules to control wear and promptly provide information about possible malfunctions.
Such a system can be applied to both cable and cable carriers; in the latter case, Industry 4.0-ready solutions can be used to monitor wear not only on the cable sheath but also on internal wiring. According to igus specialists, such a requirement is quite relevant for customers.
In the manufacture of chainflex unharnessed cables for industry, igus can count on more than fifty years of experience and on a laboratory, in Cologne, equipped with a test area based on customers’ experience. In recent years, igus has invested heavily in laboratories for different types of testing: from abrasion to bending tests up to tests using oil.
Over 15,000 tests are carried out each year, for a total of about 2 billion cycles.