Long life for moving parts is a fundamental requirement for both OEMs and MROs when integrating machinery. Yet many suppliers only speculate about the service life of their parts—they either don’t carry out tests, or the tests they do perform aren’t consistent with the mechanical requirements of the application.
Igus, a manufacturer of flexible cables for cable carrier systems considers it standard to validate the lifetime of each of its products during development and mass production in order to ensure that its cable carriers and cables perform well together. The company performs numerous application-related tests to guarantee products are ready for almost any given application.
igus has been testing its continuous-flex cables for more than 20 years in its fully equipped test laboratory—one that boasts a surface area of 19,000 sq ft. Endurance tests are supervised at over 50 different test stations and results are recorded by igus’ laboratory team. Cables are subjected to different types of mechanical stresses and monitored electrically. Afterwards, test results are analyzed and used to improve igus products. The igus test lab conducts up to two billion test cycles per year.
Test setups include standard linear-axis tests involving various lengths of travel at different speeds. Tests can also be tailored specifically to individual customer applications. igus test capabilities include linear travels up to 400 ft. Temperature profiles can be simulated in a 26-ft travel test chamber that ranges from –40° to +140°F. A robotic flex testing cell also tests the maximum lifetime of the CFROBOT-series torsion-resistant robot cables on five different test robots.
When it comes to those tests customized to an individual customer’s requirements, the results are not only documented, but it’s possible to follow the test’s progress in real-time via webcam, permitting up-to-the-minute updates.
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