Universal bus fibre optic cable from igus

The fibres are designed to reduce the minimum bend radius from the traditional 10x the outside diameter of the jacketed cable to 5x, or only 40mm. Because of the matched length of the fibre optic cores and the aramid strain and torsion relief, more than 8.5 million double strokes have been proved for energy chains in a 38mm test set-up.

“This Chainflex optical fibre cable reduces the bending radii by more than 50% on standard bus cables and by more than 65% in comparison to the previous dual-core cables,” said Justin Leonard of igus UK. “Copper bus cables are traditionally used in energy chain application; in contrast, Chainflex CFLG.2LB cables are lighter, allow higher data rates, smaller bend radii, longer cable lengths, better EMC safety and show lower damping. In addition, optical fibre cabling is system independent and future-proof – in case of a change of bus system, no new cable installation is necessary.”

The highly abrasion resistant TPE outer jacket compound protects against mechanical damage and is oil and chemical resistant as well. The environmentally-friendly cable is PVC- and halogen-free and, when dynamically moved, suitable for a temperatures ranging between -40 and 60°C. This makes the new generation of optical fibre cables applicable across all industries, covering applications from machine tools and pick and place equipment, to stone- and woodworking.