Igus energy chains are used in a wide variety of applications in the country, especially where cables are required to flex and follow a linear path such as in cranes, heavy equipment, robotics and other applications. The company is extending its product range in South Africa to cater for increasing demand and enlarged its stockholding of all fast-moving products in order to shorten the lead time for customers with regular requirements for its cables and accessories
According to igus South Africa managing director, Ian Hewat, the German company is best known for its development of special polymers for its revolutionary range of energy chains, as well as long-lasting polymer bearings and bushes that can extend the lifespan of machines and equipment up to 10 times.
Ground-breaking polymer
The introduction of its specially-designed cables has proved to be ground-breaking with Chainflex cables dramatically outlasting alternatives in the laboratory and proven in the field. As a result, many of the country’s ports and other equipment intensive industries have specified igus’ cable and energy chain solutions.
Chainflex cables are unharnessed cables for moving applications in energy chains or for robot applications and come with a fail-safe 36-month guarantee. The cables meet the requirements for EMC safety as well as the standards and guidelines such as UL, CSA, EAC, Interbus and Profibus. The product range includes everything from control cables, servo cables, motor and robot cables to bus cables, data cables, encoder and fibre optic cables and are available with a selection of various jacket materials.
Confident customers
“The reason for our product’s growing popularity in South Africa is as a result of its well-documented successes. Our customers are confident that our cables for energy chains work flawlessly over long periods even with many cycles, high speeds and accelerations as well as very extreme ambient conditions.
“In addition, our specially-developed polymers have enabled us to offer strong and durable solutions to provide flexible control for robotics and automation through the development of our specially-produced chain flex energy chains (e-chains). These can be developed for cables from 3mm to massive 300mm hoses in applications that replace festoons, busbars and cable reel drums and enhance machine operations,” concludes Ian.